Thinking Out Loud
by jacqstoned
Summary: Toph sets up Zuko and Katara on a blind date, and it does not go well. Zutara AU
1. First Impressions

**CHAPTER 1: First Impressions**

 _She talks to herself._

It's not a particularly annoying quality, he thinks. It's kind of endearing. In fact, it's been fairly useful. Like most men, he can't quite figure out how women's minds work. This quirk of hers could really help him out.

"This is so awkward, _this is just so awkward..._ " she mutters to herself, and he pretends not to hear her. Internally, he agrees.

He absolutely _hates_ being set up. But Toph had insisted- " _Come on, Sparky, it's not like you have anything better to do!_ "- and although he does not want to admit it, he lets Toph get away with pretty much anything.

So here he is on a blind date.

 _Heh,_ he smirks to himself, _**blind**_ _date._ Even when he tried to argue that his scar would just scare off Toph's friend, she'd put her foot down and said it was going to go well. As if she could _see_ how horrible his scar really was.

"So, um..." He realizes she isn't talking to herself anymore. She looks at him uncertainly, one hand fidgeting at the necklace around her throat. "How do you know Toph?"

"She's my roommate," he said, fiddling with his cutlery. Their orders are taking so long. "Well, she's technically my landlord. Since she owns the apartment."

She lets out a little laugh. "That can't be fun."

He raises an eyebrow at this. Her eyes widen, and she holds up her hands defensively.

"I-I just mean- we went to high school together, we didn't really get along well at first, because she was... um... what's the word..."

"A brat?" he offers, smirking.

She shakes her head disapprovingly, but she is smiling. "I was gonna say 'stubborn', but yeah, let's go with your word."

Another awkward silence settles over them. He observes the other patrons of the restaurant, most of whom are cheerfully chatting away. He huffs. Why did they choose such a crowded place. Crowded places make him irritable.

"Oh _god,_ I don't know what to talk about..."

She's talking to herself again. He decides to help her out.

"Toph tells me you teach preschool," he says.

Her blue eyes brighten, sitting up in her chair as she nods enthusiastically. "Yeah. It's not really what I planned on doing, and it doesn't pay very well, but I'm really glad I ended up there."

"If it doesn't pay very well, then why not quit? Look for a better job?"

She blinks a few times before answering incredulously. "Because I love teaching and I'm shaping young minds and I know money isn't the most important thing in the world?"

 _Shaping young minds?_ He couldn't even remember the name of his preschool teacher. He tries to hide his snort. She narrows her eyes at him.

"What do you do, then?"

He shrugs. He hopes his attempt at nonchalance hid his shame. "I'm in between jobs at the moment."

It's her turn to snort. "So you question why I stay at my _low-paying_ job when you don't even have one in the first place?"

"It's complicated," he mutters. He could feel heat creeping up around his ears.

She starts to reply but thinks better of it. She is toying with her necklace again. He guesses it's another quirk of hers. She whispers something to herself that he couldn't quite catch.

He wants to ask what she said but thinks better of it. Their orders have just arrived, and yet all he wants to do is pay the check and run out of the cramped restaurant.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please be kind! I apologize for my short chapters. It's been years since I wrote a fanfic. I'm new to the ATLA fandom, and this is my first attempt at writing a long-ish story. Let me know what you think!


	2. Second Impressions

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: Second Impressions**

 _I can't believe I actually thought this jerk was cute._

She pushes the remnants of her dinner around her plate, inwardly cursing herself for agreeing to go out on a blind date. She traces the round stone at the base of her throat. It comforts her, but she still feels anxious.

This is _really_ not her scene. She doesn't know what to do in situations like these.

She already felt awkward when she arrived at the restaurant and couldn't immediately identify who her date was. All Toph said was he had a scar on his face but that she shouldn't ask anything about it. ( _"I know you need to know everything about everyone, Sweetness- y'know what? That's probably why you're still single."_ ) She wondered if this was Toph's idea of a practical joke. Maybe she was on a blind date with The Joker.

When she finally located him, she was pleased to see that his scar wasn't so bad. The skin on a quarter of his face was red, bumpy, and shiny in some places, but overall… Overall, in fact, he was easy on the eyes. Very, _very_ easy on the eyes.

Then he turns out to be a jerk who judges her based on how much she earns.

They barely talked during dinner, except when he complained his steak was closer to rare than medium rare. Frankly, after that, she lost her appetite. Who the hell cares about how the steak is cooked as long as you have good food?

 _He probably judges people based on their haircuts, too._

"Sorry?"

She jolted in her seat, looking up at her date, who was looking at her blankly. "What?"

"I don't judge people based on their haircuts."

Her hands fly to her mouth in horror. _Oh my god, I just said that out loud!_

His unreadable expression slowly transitions to amusement. "You said that out loud, too."

She groans in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! I just- I talk to myself sometimes, I didn't mean-"

He waves her off. "It's alright. It's kinda cute. But you have to be careful, you know. Thinking out loud like that."

She looks at him in bewilderment. _He thinks it's cute._

 _Wait, did I say that out loud, too?_

He was calling for the check, so if she did, he probably didn't hear her.

She pulls out her purse as their waiter hands the check to her date. He raises his eyebrows at her.

"I've got this," he says.

"No, come on, we both ate-"

"Look, I'd rather not do the whole charade you women do, so just let me pay, okay?"

" _Excuse me?_ "

He seems confused. "Really, I don't mind."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "What _charade,_ exactly?"

He stammers over her tone, but he keeps explaining anyway. "You know— the whole fighting over the check thing before letting us men pay for dinner anyway?"

She fixes a stony glare at him. "Not all girls do that."

"It doesn't matter!" he pinches the bridge of his nose. "A lot of girls do it, so I assumed—"

"So you're just gonna keep on making assumptions about me even though we've just met?"

"That's not—"

"Here's an assumption for you: since you're 'in between jobs,' I'm gonna assume that my _low-paying_ career as a teacher still earns more than being a _freeloader._ "

He bristles at this. "Look I didn't mean anything by-"

 _This is the worst date ever._

She know she says the words out loud, but she was beyond caring. She throws a couple of bills on the table and stalks out of the restaurant.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was supposed to be a series of drabbles until I decided I needed to get out of my comfort zone ahaha. Please leave a review and tell me how you like it so far! :)


	3. Scarface

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: Scarface**

She's happy for her brother and his girlfriend. Really, she is.

It's the prospect of attending a wedding without a plus one that's making her balk.

"We _just_ got engaged, Katara," Suki says, rolling her eyes at her in the mirror while she puts on her makeup. "We don't plan on getting married _that_ soon. It's not as if I'm pregnant. I just can't handle that kind of stress right now, you know?"

Her eyes widen and she shoots Katara a guilty look. "Sorry! I mean, taking care of kids is great-"

Katara just shrugs it off laughingly. "Suki, I get peed on by toddlers everyday. I get it."

They've been walking on eggshells around her since The Date. She isn't mad anymore, really. It has been more than three weeks. She _did_ get a little testy every time someone mentioned her work, but by now, she's pretty much gotten over the whole incident.

 _I don't even remember his name._

"What's that?"

She jumps out of her reverie. Suki was looking at her over her shoulder, concerned.

 _I really should stop talking to myself altogether._

"It's nothing," Katara smiles. "I just got reminded of something that blind date guy said."

"Oh, Katara. Don't dwell on Scarface." Suki smirks when she uses the nickname that Sokka came up with. "He's not worth it. You're sweet, you're smart, you have _gorgeous_ hair that I would literally kill for—but you're also very kind and fierce at the same time. If he can't handle all that, then he's out."

"I don't really care about him not liking me," Katara picks a piece of lint off her dress. "It just hurt to think that maybe other people think what I do is worthless, too."

Suki puts her brush down and turns around to give Katara a steady gaze.

"Katara, for what it's worth, I hope all your kids at the preschool grow up with the same conviction as you. I think it's great you stood up to him." She picks up her brush again and finishes up with her makeup. She grins at Katara in the mirror. "We girls have to show these boys that we run the world now!"

Katara giggled. "I _do_ like how you beat the 'men are stronger' bullcrap out of Sokka."

"Oh, don't remind me. I can't believe after all the stuff I put him through at the academy, he still thought women couldn't be police officers." Suki laughs heartily before taking Katara's arm and leading her out of the bedroom.

* * *

Sokka and Suki's engagement party is on the rooftop of their apartment. Their father is playing- well, _trying_ to play, thinks Katara- pai sho in the corner with Captain Piandao while Pakku gives the two of them tips on which tile to use. Gran-Gran fusses over the tablecloths covering the few small round tables they'd set up, shaking her head at the lack of proper centerpieces. Meanwhile, Katara is helping Suki and her friend Ty Lee string up the fairy lights while Sokka checks in on the food.

"Congratulations, you two!" cries a familiar voice from the entrance.

She almost falls from the step ladder. She knows that voice. The last time she heard that voice, it was begging her to stay. Her heart wrenches painfully as she remembers.

"Aang!" Sokka marches up to the fresh-faced, tattooed owner of the voice and hugs him fiercely. "I didn't think you could make it!"

Katara busies herself with the fairy lights, ignoring the worried looks she got from Ty Lee and Suki.

"You know I wouldn't miss this for the world, Sokka!" Aang smiles widely. "I flew in as soon as I heard!"

Suki glances at Katara apologetically before rushing to join her fiancé in welcoming the guest.

 _Great. Guess I'll spend this party avoiding Aang, then._

"I don't know, Katara…" Ty Lee says, reaching up daintily to hang the last of the lights, "Maybe it won't be so bad if you guys talked. I mean, you guys are still friends, right?"

She sighs. She _really_ needs to stop voicing out her thoughts.

* * *

The party is gaining momentum when Toph bangs open the metal door, beaming.

"Now the party can _really_ start!" she exclaims.

Katara shakes her head in amusement. Leave it to Toph Beifong to make an entrance.

She puts down her drink to assist her friend when she notices that Toph did not come alone.

 _Great. Guess I'll spend this party avoiding Aang and Scarface, then._


	4. Toph Luck

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: Toph Luck**

He got wheedled into another one of Toph's schemes.

She played the blind card, too. He was totally blind-sided.

He doesn't know why he fell for her whole " _I didn't know you could be so heartless, Sparky, letting a blind girl go out at night in a dangerous neighborhood_ " speech. Toph could tackle a man twice her size.

Toph does tackle a man twice her size at the party. He guesses this is the man of the hour— a friend of Toph's from high school, she explained before they left their apartment— because he seems totally unsurprised and utterly delighted that he's been taken down by a four-foot-nine blind girl.

"You look great, Snoozles! I like your outfit!"

"Thanks! Suki picked it out— hey! It's been eight years, quit it!"

Toph howls with laughter as she untangles herself from "Snoozles".

"Toph! You're here!" A tall, peculiar-looking bald man practically flies into Toph, pulling her into what seems like a bone-breaking hug.

"Twinkletoes! Fancy _seeing_ you here!"

Zuko tries to fade into the shadows. This is embarrassing. He's uncomfortable with any kind of social interaction, but now he just feels like he's intruding on something private.

He can't believe he got roped into this.

He needs a drink.

As he makes his way to the drinks table he notices a girl in all pink stop chattering with her friend long enough to gape at him.

He scowls and tugs up the hood of his jacket to hide his scar. He's gotten used to ignoring the stares of strangers because he doesn't really care what they think, but funnily enough he does care about what Toph's friends think of him. And they probably think he's a freak.

He bangs the bottle of whiskey down the table a little harder than intended.

"Hello there," says a tentative voice from behind him. He glances around. It was the friend of the gaping girl.

"Hey," he manages to unlock his gritted teeth long enough to be polite. They were probably gossiping about how he got his scar and now they had to settle their argument by going directly to the source.

"Welcome to the party," she smiles easily at him. "I'm Suki. That goofy guy over there is my fiancé, Sokka. You must be Toph's friend."

"Zuko." He shakes her hand guiltily. "Sorry if I seemed a bit angry, I was just— um, I mean, congratulations! Sorry we came empty-handed. Toph didn't—"

She waves a hand cheerily. "Oh no, it's perfectly alright! We just really wanted to share the news with the gang."

He looks at "the gang". They're busy stuffing their faces with food and joking around with some of the older people at the party. Something in the warmth of their interactions stings Zuko, making him feel more lonely than ever. "I just got dragged into this so… I could leave to let you guys catch up."

"Oh nonsense! You know what, let me introduce you to them." He catches a gleam in her eye that makes him think this girl was up to something.

Zuko downs his drink before following her.

She convinces him to pull down his hood before approaching the gang.

* * *

"Hey, Hotman!"

By way of greeting, Toph punches him on the shoulder. Hard. Zuko tries not to wince. For a blind girl, she never misses. Nor pulls her punches.

"I wondered where you ran off to!" she continues. "C'mon, introduce yourself, don't be shy!"

"Hey there," he clears his throat. "I'm Zuko. I'm Toph's roommate. I guess."

Suki's fiancé is regarding him in a way that made him more uncomfortable than he already was.

The bald guy breaks into a huge smile before shaking his hand vigorously. "I'm Aang! It's so nice to finally meet you. This is Sokka, you already know Suki and Toph, that's Ty Lee over there, those are some of Suki's friends from the squad—"

"Calm down, Twinkletoes, he's not gonna remember all that."

Aang scratches his head sheepishly. "Sorry. Anyway, the crew's not complete yet. I still haven't seen Katara around."

Zuko notices the uneasy looks exchanged by most of the gang when Aang mentions the name.

He tries to place where he's heard the name "Katara" before. Maybe Toph mentioned it in passing once; after all, they were good friends since high school—

His eyes widen with realization and he scowls down at Toph, who seems blissfully unaware of his murderous glare.

This little _brat._

Suki clears her throat loudly. "I think it's time to give speeches! _Right,_ Sokka?"

"Oh! Yeah! Speeches! Totally down for that!"

He seems relieved, like he found an excuse to escape a sticky situation. Zuko doesn't quite understand it. He'd take sticky situations over speeches any day.

But then he sees a pair of striking blue eyes peering at him from across the rooftop. They narrow at him. He could practically hear her voice, yelling at him over dinner.

On second thought, he'd take speeches over sticky situations from now on.

* * *

The older adults retire to Suki and Sokka's apartment before the rooftop party gets too rowdy.

" _Why didn't you tell me_ she _was gonna be here?"_ he hisses as soon as he finds Toph alone.

"I did tell you that, Hothead," she fixes her sightless eyes on him calmly. "Not my fault you forgot her name."

Zuko groans, running a hand down his face. "Alright _._ Touche. But why the _hell_ did you bring me here?"

"I _told_ you!" Toph smiles innocently. "I'm blind, Sparky. I need all the help I can get."

"Oh, don't give me that bull."

"Zuko." When Toph uses your real name, you know she means business. "I told your uncle I'd take care of you."

He could feel his face heating up. "I don't need—"

Toph snorts. " _Sure_ you don't need someone to take care of you. All I'm sayin' is— Gramps is worried. Dammit, _I'm_ worried. Ever since that _accident_ you've been moping around and shutting everyone out." She shrugs, looking down and wriggling her toes in her sandals. "My friends are good people who've been through a lot. You need that kind of group, y'know? So you don't feel so alone."

Zuko thinks he sees her eyes glistening, but the somber expression on her face is already replaced by a wicked grin.

"Besides, Sparky," Toph punches his arm again, a little less forceful this time, "I figured it'll be fun to see you squirm after the _worst date ever._ "

He smacks himself in the forehead. He'd been careful not to reveal how the date had turned out— mostly by not speaking of it. "She told you what happened?"

Toph grins. "I know everything, dude. I'm surprised she didn't throw her drink in your face. That would've been entertaining. But I don't think you're a jerk though. Katara's just a bit sensitive, that's all."

Zuko sighs. Sensitive or not, he knows he _was_ a jerk during their date. He just didn't know he was doing all the wrong things until she stormed out. And- he'll never tell Toph this- despite his aversion to people, he actually _wanted_ to make a good impression on her.

 _Guess it's too late for that now._

He glances around and sees that Toph has struck up a conversation with the girl in all pink. _Ty Lee,_ Zuko tries to remember. He figures he better start remembering names now.

Judging by the way Toph is murmuring in Ty Lee's ear, and the way the girl giggles and blushes, this is not a conversation he wants to overhear.

He trudges to the drinks table when he spots something glinting on the floor. He picks it up.

It was a necklace.

It was _her_ necklace.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :D


	5. Tough Love

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: Tough Love**

"What the hell are you doing down there? Are you drunk already?"

"I lost Mom's necklace!"

She frantically crawls under the tables. Almost everyone was on the dancefloor. Only Sokka's shoes are visible from this perspective. She doesn't need to see his face to know he is rolling his eyes.

"Sis, it's just a necklace! We'll find it when we clean up later." Her brother's face peeks at her under the tablecloth. "Although you're doing a pretty good job of wiping the floor with your clothes, there."

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "You _know_ how important that necklace is! You gotta help me find it!"

"Great idea, sis," he pretends to look around. "Welp, no luck! It ain't here!"

" _Come on!_ "

"You sure you're not just looking for an excuse to hide from Aang?"

She bristles at this. "Oh, for fuck's sake— _fine._ I'll look for it myself."

"Whatever you say." He gets back up. She sees his feet moving away. "Come out soon, though. We miss you out there."

She hangs her head. She _has_ been scarce tonight. But they all know she's avoiding Aang and Scarface. They have to understand the situation she's in. It is a pretty difficult situation, too, considering it's such a small party.

 _I need a drink._

She peers from under the table, making sure the coast was clear. Aang was dancing wildly with Suki and some of her friends from the police force. She couldn't see Scarface anywhere.

 _What a relief._

She crawls out from under the table and makes a beeline for the drinks table. She passes by Toph, who is too busy flirting with Ty Lee to notice her.

Good enough. Katara isn't in the mood to talk to her after she brought her _worst date ever_ to the party. She doesn't even know why Toph bothered to drag him here. Based on how he'd been acting all night, he clearly doesn't want to be here.

She's halfway through pouring herself a glass of white wine when she hears footsteps approaching her from behind. She whirls around, fingers clutching at the non-existent necklace around her throat.

"Hi, Katara." He hasn't changed from the last time they talked. He still has a perpetual smile on his face. The arrow tattoos on both of his arms peek from under his long sleeves. He still keeps his head clean-shaven. Nothing's changed.

Except his eyes. His gray eyes are sad.

"Hey, Aang." She lets her hand fall to her side. Having her necklace would've helped ease her nerves. She takes a gulp of her drink, instead.

"I haven't seen you since…" Aang scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "How are you?"

Katara smiles. "I'm good, Aang. It's a bit tiring teaching little kids, but I still think it's worth it. How are things with you?"

Aang perks up slightly. "It's been great, mostly. I like working for a non-profit. You know how much I love travelling and helping people out." He pauses, lowering his eyes. "It just gets lonely sometimes."

Katara chooses to ignore this. She feels heartless doing so, but it's been more than a year. He can't keep running to her whenever he feels lonely. "Well, it's great you're doing what you love."

His eyes search hers for a moment before he breaks into a wide smile that does not quite reach his eyes. "Well, it's great you're teaching kids. You've always been good at that."

 _He really hasn't changed. He still knows the right things to say._

"Thank you."

Aang opens his arms and after a beat, Katara allows herself to be pulled into his gentle hug.

* * *

"It ain't so bad, Sugar Queen, lighten up."

She glares at Toph, forgetting that she can't see her.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Ty Lee?"

Toph shrugs mischievously. "Gotta leave them wanting more, right?"

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "I still think you shouldn't have brought _him_ here. It's so awkward."

"It's only awkward for _you,_ " Toph grins. "It's been very entertaining for me."

"Toph," Katara groans. "No one else knows him here! It's awkward for everyone else, too! You can't just bring people—"

"No one else seems to mind, Sweetness," Toph points a few feet shy of Sokka gesturing animatedly at Scarface.

She scrunches up her face. "Sokka's just drunk."

Toph snorts. "If you'd come out of your cave earlier you would've seen how much the gang likes him. So you had a bad date. Chill out."

"I will _not._ He's an entitled, pompous, sexist jerk." She doesn't understand why Toph is friends with Scarface. Granted, Toph _has_ shadier friends than this guy, but still. "I don't see why you even thought we'd get along well. You suck at matchmaking."

Toph starts snickering until she's clutching her stomach from laughter.

"What the _hell_ is so funny?"

Toph manages to catch her breath long enough to wipe a tear from her eyes. Then she starts laughing again.

"Toph! I swear to god!"

With a frustrated stomp of her foot, she stalks to the other corner of the rooftop, as far away from Toph as possible.

 _Maybe the date really was a prank._

Katara nurses her drink, her pride still a little hurt by Toph, as she watches the rest of her friends mingle. Suki is talking with some of her friends at the tables; Aang is busy picking out the vegetarian food from the snacks table while chatting with Ty Lee; Toph has already moved on to the dancefloor and is challenging Sokka to a dance battle; and Scarface—

 _Oh my god, he's headed towards me!_

She tries to find an excuse— _any excuse_ — to escape, but she's literally in a corner.

So, she tries to give the most venomous glare she could muster.

He has the nerve to give her a small smile.

She crosses her arms and turns away when he reaches her side.

He clears his throat.

She ignores him.

"Hey."

 _Hey?! The first words out of his mouth should be "I'm sorry", not "Hey"!_

She pointedly stares anywhere else but him. She hears his frustrated sigh and for a second she feels triumphant.

"I think this is yours." He holds out his hand. Begrudgingly, she turns and looks at what he is proffering.

Her mouth drops open in shock.

 _Mom's necklace!_

She reaches out for it but he snatches his hand back at the last second.

"Hey!" She glares up at him and he has the gall to look amused.

"The first words out of your mouth should be 'thank you', not 'hey'."

She could feel the vein in her head about to pop. She manages to mutter "Thank you," through gritted teeth.

He grins as he hands her back her necklace.

"For the record," he adds, "I am sorry for the worst date ever."

"Good to know," she spits out.

She turns away from him again, hoping he'd just leave her alone. She busies herself with clasping her necklace back in place. Her hands won't stop shaking. Whether it was from anger, from the cold, or from the exhaustion of avoiding people all night, she doesn't know.

"You need help with that?"

"No." She really does, though, but she won't give him the satisfaction. "Are you _assuming_ I can't put my own necklace on?"

He hears his huff of frustration and she smiles to herself.

" _No,_ but if you _want_ my help, I'm offering it up on a silver platter."

Katara contemplates just pocketing her necklace and walking away, but who knows where she might drop it next?

" _Fine._ " She drapes the ends of her necklace around the back of her neck as best as she could before gathering her hair up and turning her back on him.

She almost jumps when his warm fingers lightly touch her nape, moving aside locks of hair she missed. Her breath catches in her throat when she realizes he is close enough for her to feel his warm breath ghosting her neck.

Her heart thumps erratically in her chest.

"There."

She swallows and turns around. He's much closer than she thought he would be.

"Thank you."

"Happy to be of service." He seems to realize how close they are and takes a step back, putting his hands in his pockets. "Don't lose it again. I may not be around to pick it up and return it to you."

"Gee, thanks, _Knight in Shining Armor_." She rolls her eyes. "You know, you should get off your high horse sometime. You could be a pretty decent guy when you put your mind to it."

"I'll try." He turns to leave with a small smile on his face.

 _Maybe Scarface isn't so bad after all._

He stops in his tracks. "You really should stop thinking out loud," he calls over his shoulder. "My name's Zuko. Stop calling me Scarface."

She smacks herself in embarrassment.


	6. Tea Time

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6: Tea Time**

Job-hunting is hard. The rejection letters and emails are piling up.

 _How do people do this?_

He never had to look for a job before, but what little money he has is going to disappear if he doesn't find a job soon.

He closes his laptop in frustration.

"Mornin', Sparky."

Toph trudges out of her room, barefoot and yawning, her black hair mussed from sleep. She always gets up late.

"It's not morning anymore. It's half-past noon," Zuko says, trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

Toph shrugs and tucks into her bowl of cereal.

 _What must it be like to be a trust fund kid._

Zuko opens up his laptop again. No use running away from the hunt. He knows well enough that jobs won't just fall into his lap.

"By the way, Sparky. We're going downtown today."

"What for?" His attention is mostly on the cover letter he was writing.

" _Duh!_ It's the grand opening of Pop's tea shop!"

His fingers linger over his keyboard. "Uncle didn't tell me he was opening his shop today."

"Yeah, 'cause he wants to surprise ya with somethin', so you better act surprised," Toph gulps down the coffee Zuko brewed for them and gags. "What the hell did you put in this, Hotman?"

"Um, coffee?"

Toph _tsks_ before heading to her bathroom. "Let's hope terrible brewing doesn't run in the family, otherwise I invested in Gramps for nothing."

* * *

The Jasmine Dragon is on the quieter side of the downtown area. It seems quaint. Not quite traditional, not quite modern. An arch of white and silver balloons welcomes them in the doorway. Light streams through the large glass windows at the front of the shop, but inside it was surprisingly dimmer and somewhat cozier compared to other tea shops he's been to.

A few customers lounge on comfortable-looking couches that surround the round wooden tables. On top of each table was a bowl of white lotuses. He wonders if his uncle could keep up the steady supply of fresh flowers everyday.

"Nephew!" An elderly man greets him from behind the counter.

"Uncle!" Zuko rushes up to him and hugs him. "Congratulations on your tea shop."

"I'm just thankful you are here to celebrate with me, Zuko." Iroh holds him tightly for a second longer than necessary and Zuko tries not to blush in embarrassment. He claps a hand on his uncle's back as Iroh turns to greet Toph.

"Miss Toph!" He says warmly, bowing even though he knows Toph cannot see. "What an honor to have you in my humble shop. How do you like the decorations?"

"You beat me to the blind joke, Gramps! It looks freaking awesome!"

"I hope my nephew has been an exemplary tenant," Iroh says with a twinkle in his eye.

Toph laughs at this. "Sparky's been a real hoot, Pops. Still makes terrible coffee, though."

Zuko resists the urge to glare at Toph. Uncle Iroh chuckles.

"Ah yes, Zuko's never been one to make good tea or coffee. I always told him the secret ingredient is love, but he always looks for it in all the wrong places."

" _Uncle!_ " Zuko runs a hand down his face, blushing.

Toph giggles mischievously beside him. "It's true, you know." She turns to Iroh. "He also doesn't know how to act around girls. I set him up with my friend—"

" _Toph!_ "

Both Toph and his uncle chuckle good-naturedly. Iroh sighs happily.

"Why don't you two take a seat while I get us a nice pot of ginseng?"

He disappears into the kitchen before anyone could reply. Zuko surveys the shop and notices a girl in a nearby table regarding him curiously. He curses himself for not wearing a hoodie to hide his scar, but it was such a warm day out and he runs hot.

"C'mon," Zuko tugs Toph to a table in the corner booth by the window just as his uncle emerges with a tray laden with cookies and teacups.

"Not to tell you how to run your business but…" he looks around uncertainly as Toph eagerly slurps her tea. "Don't you need to attend to your customers, Uncle?"

"You have much to learn in the art of serving tea, nephew." Iroh takes a sip and closes his eyes serenely. "Tea brews beautifully when it is allowed to rest. There must always be a balance between relaxation and hard work."

"Yes, but…" he looks pointedly at the girl in the other table. "That girl over there keeps looking at us. I think she wants to order or something."

Iroh's eyes glint in the late afternoon sun. "My, my. Why don't you see what she needs, Zuko? I have to speak with Miss Toph about the budget for hiring additional staff."

Zuko groans as he approaches the girl. "Good day," he clears his throat. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh!" she smiles at him. "You work here?"

He shrugs. "It's my uncle's tea house." He scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I can assist you while he's busy."

"Well…" she blushes as she traces a finger around her empty teacup. "I actually have to go, but…"

"I'll get you your check," Zuko offers.

"Hmm, and while you're at it," she smiles up at him, "maybe I can get your number, too?"

Zuko could feel the heat spreading through his cheeks. "W-what?"

"He would be honored, miss," Iroh suddenly appears at his shoulder, beaming. "Please excuse us while we will get your check ready." He bows deeply as he exits.

Zuko nods awkwardly to the girl as he follows his uncle to the back of the shop.

"Why did you say I'll give her my number?" Zuko demands.

"It seems you have a gift for charming customers, nephew," Iroh scribbles Zuko's digits on the check.

Zuko crosses his arms over his chest. "That doesn't answer my question, Uncle."

"You know, Zuko, if you're still looking for employment, I would love for you to come and join me here." Iroh straightens up and hands him the piece of paper in a wooden tray.

Zuko rolls his eyes before pushing past the swinging doors of the kitchen and striding to the girl. She beams at him when he hands her the check.

He manages a small smile in return.

She waves at him as she leaves the shop.

 _That wasn't so bad._

Zuko pauses before ducking back into the kitchen.

"Okay, Uncle. I'll work with you here."

"Oh, how wonderful!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm seriously losing steam over this. Still plugging away at Chapter 10, but _ugh._ Please, let me know if this is still worth it. Much love!


	7. Spa Day

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7: Spa Day**

"I'm surprised you agreed to go to the spa with me today."

Toph turns her head lazily, her sightless eyes covered by cucumber slices. "Yeah, well, you're lucky I had a bit of time to kill, Sweetness."

"Mm hmm _, sure,_ " Katara mutters, humoring her. Toph would never admit it out loud, but Katara knows she enjoys it. And Katara knows it is easier to get Toph talking when she spends the day knee-deep in essential oils.

They are in their regular spa. They've frequented it so much that the masseuses knew not to scrub Toph's feet after their first few attempts a few years ago resulted in a deluge of profanities.

"Hey," Toph calls out to her beneath her mud mask, "why'd you wanna go out in the first place?"

"Do I really need a reason?" Katara sighs. "I just want to spend more time with you."

"Quit sugar-coating, Sugar Queen. I know you've got a lot to say."

" _Fine!"_ Katara snaps. All the tension that slipped out of her during the massage find their way back into her body. "You disappeared for a _year_ , we barely knew where you were, you barely talked to any of us, and then you just stroll back into our lives like nothing happened? What gives, Toph? We're supposed to be _friends!_ "

"We _are_ friends, Katara." Toph replies calmly. "Sokka and Aang are over it. I don't see why _you're_ putting up a big stink about it. "

"I just…" Katara twists her fingers around each other anxiously. "I needed you there. When Aang and I broke up. Sokka didn't really understand, but I knew you would."

Toph is silent for so long Katara thinks she has fallen asleep.

"Toph?"

Toph's voice is barely audible. "I get it. It's why I disappeared, too." She sits up and sighs. "I needed to have my own adventures."

Her words hang in the air as Katara mulls them over.

Her adventures over the year weren't all that exciting, but it _is_ nice to feel like she's in control of her future. She's making her own decisions instead of just going with whatever Aang had planned out for the next ten years. It is nice to find herself and her passions. She's living her own life without any external influences. Except…

"Toph! I still don't know why you set me up with Scarface!"

Toph snorts into her mud mask. "That's a pretty creative nickname, Sweetness. But I think I'll stick to calling him 'Sparky'."

Katara flicks a cucumber slice off Toph's eye. "That doesn't answer my question!"

Toph grins. "I thought you guys would hit it off, since you're both pains in my ass."

Katara realizes she won't get a serious answer from Toph, even with all the pampering she's bribed her with. She huffs. "How did you even end up being roommates with him?"

"I had a lot of adventures when I was gone, Sweetness." Toph hops off her bed and stretches. "C'mon, let's get out of here. I need a drink."

* * *

"Wow, Toph. When you said you needed a drink, I didn't picture _this._ "

They are standing outside a small, somewhat rustic tea shop a couple of blocks from the spa. The words "Jasmine Dragon" are engraved on the wooden sign above the entrance, framed by intricate carvings of two bearded, scaled dragons. She's never seen a tea shop in this part of downtown before. Katara is sure she would've heard of it, judging by how packed the place was.

"Is this place new?" she asks. Toph doesn't seem to hear her and merrily charges in.

"I don't think we're going to find a table, Toph."

"It's okay, I know a guy," Toph waves at her as she makes her way to a seat in the corner. Katara weaves her way through the crowded tables, wondering how on earth a blind girl can walk through this place without any assistance.

She settles down on the cushions with a sigh. Toph plops down on the couch across from her.

"Honestly, Toph, I didn't think this was your kind of scene."

"I'm full of surprises, Sugar Queen." Toph tucks her hands behind her head. "Besides, you wanted to snoop around on what I did when I was gone, right?"

"I wasn't _snooping—"_

"Miss Toph!" A stout, elderly man approaches them jovially, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his traditional robes. "It is so good to see you back so soon!"

"Just checking up on ya, Pops."

'Pops' chuckles appreciatively before bowing to Katara. "I see you've brought a friend. It is absolutely _lovely_ to meet you, Miss…?"

She springs to her feet and bows awkwardly. "Katara. I'm sorry, Toph didn't have the _good grace_ to tell me who we were visiting."

He laughs heartily while Toph snickers from her seat. "You may call me Iroh, Miss Katara." He claps his hands together. "Now! What would you ladies have?"

* * *

"Gotta hand it to ya, Gramps," Toph munches on an beautifully-iced cookie. "I didn't think you'd become the best tea-maker in town in just a few weeks."

Iroh blushes. "That's very sweet of you to say, Miss Toph."

"Glad to know I invested in the right place," Toph pops the rest of her cookie in her mouth and reaches for another one.

Katara looks up from her oolong tea. "'Invested'?"

"Miss Toph was kind enough to partner with me in my venture," Iroh explains.

"How did _that_ happen?" Katara leans forward in her chair. "I never knew Toph was so interested in tea."

Toph shrugs. "Met Gramps about a year ago. He made good tea and gave good advice, so I figured, what the hell, y'know?"

"Oh, she is being too modest, Miss Katara." Iroh takes a sip of his tea and smiles kindly at Toph. "She also agreed to take in my nephew when the poor boy lost his home."

Katara's eyes widen with Toph's.

"Pops! You weren't supposed to say that!"

" _That's_ how you ended up being roommates with Scar- with Zuko?"

"Oh no," Iroh says, his tone amused and not the least bit perturbed, "Was I not supposed to talk about your kind heart, Miss Toph?" He then turns to Katara, whose jaw was still hanging from the revelation. "I did not realize you knew my nephew!"

Katara promptly closes her mouth. She clears her throat uncomfortably. "After a fashion, I guess."

Toph snorts into her tea. "She thinks he's a jerk."

" _Toph!_ " Katara worriedly looks at Iroh, waving her hands defensively. "I don't think your nephew's a jerk! Well, not anymore, but he just seems a little- um… condescending… sometimes. But that's just because I haven't known him long! I'm sure-"

"I understand, Miss Katara." He bows his head over his cup. His smile fades slightly. "Zuko may appear aloof, but that is because he is his father's son, and he still has not found his own way and own aspirations. I'm afraid he still aligns his values with what his father believes in. My brother can be… condescending, too, to say the least."

Katara sips her tea quietly, unsure of what to say to this torrent of information. One thing she is sure of, though, is how much Iroh loves his nephew. It seems like he has been taking care of Zuko from childhood. And with the way he talked about his brother, Katara gets a feeling that Zuko's childhood may not have been easy.

"I hope my nephew finds himself soon." Iroh smiles up at them, eyes glistening. "I would have offered to let him stay at my home, but because of the construction of the tea shop, it was not exactly presentable if he decided to bring home a lady friend."

Katara chokes on her tea.

 _I don't think that's gonna be a problem._

"Oh, I don't know, Miss Katara," Iroh says. Toph sniggers into her cup. "Zuko has been particularly charming to one of our regulars. Jin, I think she is called. Such a wonderful girl."

 _Huh,_ Katara thinks, sipping her tea to prevent her from saying her thoughts out loud, _I guess I just wasn't 'wonderful' enough to see the 'particularly charming' side of Scarface._

 _But then again, why should I care?_

* * *

 **A/N:** Whew, we're really getting a bulky fic here, huh? Sorry. I have a couple chapters lined up, but I may not update this until I finish another chapter. Just so I have back up stuff to publish, you know? Anyway, enough rambling from me. Lemme know what you think!


	8. Date Night

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8: Date Night**

This isn't exactly the worst date ever, but things could be better for Zuko.

After weeks of texting and casual chats at the tea shop, he finally had the guts to ask Jin out. They met at the tea shop after his uncle excitedly told him to take the rest of the day off.

Now, they were at a Chinese restaurant she likes, and she is slurping her noodles animatedly.

"You have... quite an appetite for a girl," Zuko comments.

Jin stops long enough to look at him and slurp the last of the noodles hanging from her mouth.

"Uh, thanks," she replies uncertainly, putting down the bowl.

Zuko winces internally. Should he not have said that? He pushes his dumplings around on his plate, hoping that a topic for conversation would drop into his lap.

"So… What do you like to do for fun?" she asks him, a cheeky smile playing across her lips.

Zuko pauses in pushing his dinner around his plate. What _does_ he like to do for fun?

"Nothing," he replies truthfully. He resumes playing with the remnants of his food.

"Excuse me, sir," the waiter approaches them cheerfully, "would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?"

Zuko nearly drops his fork. "She's not my girlfriend!" he snarls.

 _Shit. I just blew it, didn't I?_

He looks anxiously at Jin, but she seems unaffected. She happily slurps the rest of her noodles and sets the empty bowl down with a satisfied sigh.

"Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city," she says eagerly.

"Oh, okay then," Zuko calls for the waiter he shouted at and asks for the check.

They were already walking down the sidewalk, her arm linked through his, when Zuko realizes something.

 _She didn't even reach for the check._

* * *

"I'm so excited for you to see this," she says, merrily dragging him through unfamiliar alleys downtown as street lights pop on in the gathering dusk. "The fireflies come out around this time and the light they make reflect on the pool of the fountain in the most _beautiful_ way."

They arrive at a somewhat secluded, dimly-lit park. Zuko only has a moment to wonder if this is some ploy to mug him before Jin rushes off excitedly to the huge fountain in the middle of the park.

She turns away, crestfallen, as Zuko approaches.

"I can't believe it." She sits down on the lip of the fountain. "They're usually here."

Zuko sits down beside her and puts his hand over hers. "Maybe if we wait long enough they'll appear."

"I hope so." Jin gives him a small smile and laces his fingers with his.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Zuko spots sparks in the distance.

"Hey, look!" he nudges Jin. "I think your fireflies are here."

Jin giggles and playfully shoves him. "Those are _fireworks,_ Zuko."

"Who cares?" He shrugs, grinning slightly. "They've both got the word 'fire' in them. And they reflect on the fountain. Kind of."

She laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at him bashfully. She leans into him, until her lips were just a breath away from his.

"Thanks, Zuko," she whispers, "You're really sweet."

She closes the distance between them before he could respond.

Her body is flush against his. He deepens the kiss as he slowly trails a hand to her waist.

She pulls away.

"You know," she says in a low voice, tracing a finger down the smooth side of his face, "My apartment's just a few blocks from here."

"Um…" Zuko gulps and backs away slightly. "I, uh, forgot. I promised Uncle I'd be back at the tea shop to do… inventory."

"Oh." Jin pulls back, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

"I'm so sorry," Zuko quickly gets to his feet. "I… I actually brought you something."

"Oh?" Some of the disappointment disappears from her face.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea." He could feel himself blushing from embarrassment as he hands her the coupon. "It was my uncle's idea- he thinks you're our most valuable customer."

"Zuko," she says, her tone both amused and touched, "this is so sweet. Your uncle's a good man. And so are you."

She kisses him on his unscarred cheek before linking her arm around his. "Walk me home, at least?"

Zuko smiles. "Of course."

* * *

Zuko is surprised to hear voices in his apartment after helping his uncle at the shop. He pauses before opening the door.

"SPARKY!" Toph hollers from the living room floor. Shot glasses and bottles of alcohol line the top of the coffee table. The newly engaged couple from the last party Toph dragged him to sit on cushions on the floor beside Toph. Zuko tries to remember their names- _Sokki? Suka? That can't be right._

"What's going on?" he asks, trying to sound slightly welcoming and not too pissed.

"Game night!" announces the guy with the man bun- _Sokka,_ Zuko remembers his name now- while holding aloft his can of beer.

"Game night?" Zuko looks around at the room. He sees no board games or cards.

"Yeah! We're playin' Never Have I Ever! You gotta catch up, Sparky!" Toph sloppily pours him a shot of tequila, sloshing a bit on the carpet. The girl- _Suki,_ if Zuko recalls correctly- rolls her eyes and takes the shot glass and bottle out of Toph's hands.

Zuko runs a hand down his face. "I'm gonna get you some water, okay?"

He heads to the kitchen, not bothering to deposit his stuff in his room. It's been a long day, and he just wants to get this over with.

He halts in his tracks when he sees her in the kitchen fiddling with the blender.

 _This day just got longer._

"Oh!" Katara visibly jumps when she sees him in the doorway. The lid of the blender she was holding clatters to the floor and rolls to a stop at his feet. He picks it up and hands it to her wordlessly.

"Thanks," she fidgets with the lid slightly before bursting into speech. "I'm sorry! Toph said you weren't gonna be here so we went here to chill after our spa day and Sokka found out and weaseled his way in and Suki—"

"It's okay. I come in peace." Zuko processes what she just said and laughs slightly. "Did you just say you and _Toph_ had a _spa day?_ "

"Yeah," Katara smiles as she rummages through the cupboards. "I needed to bribe her into talking, and spa day always works."

"'Bribe her'?" Zuko repeats in disbelief. "Didn't know you had it in you."

Katara grins slyly at him as she cuts up the lime. "I'm full of surprises, Scarface."

Zuko groans at the nickname and opens the fridge to get a glass of water. He is about to close the fridge door when Katara appears at his shoulder carrying the blender.

"Hey, can I get some ice?" She waves the blender in his face. "I don't know how to operate this space age thing you guys have, to be honest."

"You know," Zuko says as he fills the container with a push of a button, "I'm surprised you're not as hammered as those guys."

Katara scrunches up her face. "It's Never Have I Ever. I haven't done a lot of stuff." She crosses her arms over her chest. "Besides, someone has to take care of those idiots."

He rolls his eyes in understanding and hands her the ice-filled container. "I always end up cleaning the apartment in the morning after Toph gets sloshed."

"Ugh, I know what you mean." Katara gestures a bit too wildly and accidentally adds too much tequila into the blender. "Oops. Anyway, Sokka trashed our house so much in high school, and I always had to clean up after him. I don't know who was more relieved when he moved out- me, my grandma, or my dad."

Zuko laughs. It surprises him that he seems to find the prospect of talking to her more appealing than joining a clearly drunk Toph and her loud friends.

"So I'm guessing your mom still wanted your brother around even though he wrecked your house with parties?" Zuko leans back on the counter.

Katara pulses the blender a couple of times. She touches her necklace before replying in a quiet voice. "We lost our mom in an accident when we were kids."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Zuko could feel his own loss in her words. He reaches out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "That's something we have in common."

She turns around and looks at him with more pain in her eyes than he expected. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." She looks at him earnestly. "Toph said you were a good guy, and I just yelled at you and walked out on you like that. I didn't realize-"

"It doesn't matter." Zuko cuts her off. He realizes his hand was still on her shoulder and drops his arm to his side.

"I'm still sorry." She is quiet for a moment, busying herself with making the drink. Zuko wonders for a moment what she's thinking— he's vaguely uncomfortable now that her thoughts don't spill out of her mouth.

She finally speaks. "I met your uncle, by the way."

Zuko freezes. She glances up at him warily, her blue eyes full of emotions he can't understand.

"How…?" He croaks out.

Katara looks almost apologetic. "Toph brought me to his tea shop. It was near the spa we usually go to."

"Oh." Zuko struggles to form the question that embarrasses him beyond belief.

Katara seems to understand, though. She laughs slightly. "He doesn't know about… how we met. Toph just told him that I thought you were a jerk. Typical Toph."

Zuko snaps out of his surprise and lowers his head guiltily. "I _was_ a jerk. I'm sorry. For what it's worth, I think…"

He doesn't know what he thinks. That it's good she has figured her life out? _No, that's too presumptuous._ That at least she has a job? _No, it still sounds like I'm belittling her._

"I think you're passionate," he finishes lamely.

Katara looks at him with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and something else he can't quite read. "Thank you."

She pulses the ice in the blender some more. Zuko wonders if he should leave her alone, if he should get back to Toph and give her the glass of water he's been holding all this time, but then Katara unplugs the blender and pauses slightly.

"He really loves you, you know," she says quietly, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

"I know." A small, sad smile reaches his lips before he could help it. Katara notices, though.

"Hey, you should join us," she says, smiling at him brightly. "I promise I'll help you clean up when Toph and Sokka wreck this place."

He smirks and follows her out of the kitchen. It's been a long day, but he's willing to make it last a little longer.

* * *

 **A/N:** Boy, these chapters are getting longer! I seem to be out of my writing rut now. And we're finally getting some non-hostile Zutara interactions, yay! Where will it go from here? I dunno. Let's see where my muse will take me. Leave a review and lemme know your thoughts!


	9. Game Night

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9: Game Night**

"Never have I ever…" Suki swishes the partially melted frozen margarita in her glass, thinking hard. "Been in a fistfight!"

"That's not how the game works!" Katara giggles. Despite what she said about wanting to take care of her drunk friends, the amount of alcohol she consumed is already making her loud and giddy. "You have to say something _you've_ never done before!"

"Ah, fuck it, Katara, I wanna drink!" says Suki, downing the contents of her glass.

"That's my girl!" Sokka says, throwing an arm around her as he takes a gulp of his beer.

Zuko and Toph both take shots of tequila.

"Am I the only one who hasn't beaten up people?" Katara cries out indignantly.

Zuko chuckles quietly beside her. She turns to him irritatedly.

"I know Toph and Sokka's been in tons of fights, but you? Seriously, is _everyone_ here _that_ barbaric?"

He shrugs. "I'm trained in mixed martial arts."

"That is so _cool!_ " Sokka says. "I never had training until I joined the force. I still think that's why Suki beat me all the time in sparring."

"Oh, please," Suki says, rolling her eyes. "I'm just a better boxer."

"Alright, alright! I concede," Sokka puts up his hands in defeat. "Never have I ever... feared for my life after breaking up with someone."

Toph snorts. "Who the hell has been in _that_ situation, Snoozles?"

Zuko drinks. He looks up at their dumbfounded faces.

"You _just_ said you're trained in MMA!" Sokka says incredulously. "Who was your ex, a hired killer?"

"No, but she likes throwing knives."

Toph bursts out laughing. "How in the world did you get out of that one?"

Zuko flushes, rubbing a hand on his nape. "I… sort of… wrote her a note."

Katara sputters on her drink. "You broke up with a girl using _a note?_ What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ with me!" Zuko runs a hand down his face. "It was around the time I-"

He stops abruptly. He wasn't ready for them to know how he ended up living with Toph.

"Around the time you…?" Suki prompts.

"Never mind. The point is, I had no choice. Leaving her the note was the best way to go."

"No wonder you feared for your life." Katara refills her drink. "I would totally kill you if you broke up with me using a _note_."

"If I broke up with you?" Zuko says, both startled and amused, not knowing if this was one of those times she was talking to herself.

Katara shakes her head, eyes wide. "I meant, if I were in your ex's shoes!"

"I don't think you have to worry about that, Sugar Queen," Toph says, feeling around the table for the pitcher of frozen margarita. Zuko reaches for it and refills Toph's glass. "We all know you scared Sparky so much he'll never go on a second date with you."

Zuko nearly drops the pitcher. "I never said that!" he says amidst Sokka and Suki's laughter. Words barrel out of his mouth, the alcohol loosening his tongue. "I never said anything about the date until Toph dragged me to the party, and I swear, I didn't know you were gonna be there, I know you didn't want to see me, it was so awkward-"

"See!" Katara points a finger accusingly at Toph, forgetting she can't see. "I told you it was awkward! And you just laughed in my face! It was bad enough I had to deal with Aang-"

"The bald dude?" Zuko asks, making Sokka laugh even harder. Zuko looks at the group, confused. "He seems like a good guy. What's your problem with him?"

"Yeah, Katara, what's wrong with Aang?" Suki says teasingly, taking a swig out of Sokka's beer can.

Katara's dark skin flushes a deep red. "Nothing! There's nothing wrong with him!"

"Then why'd you break up with him?" Suki teases.

"You dated the bald dude?" Zuko laughs despite himself. Katara glares at him.

"What's so funny about that?"

"It's just…" Zuko tries to keep his face straight. "It makes sense. That he'd be your type."

"I don't have a type! And what's that supposed to mean?" Katara shoots back at him.

Toph snorts. "Twinkletoes was _so not_ Sugar Queen's type. He just wore her down."

"Oh, come on," Sokka chimes in. "Aang's a great guy, and Katara wouldn't have stayed with him for three years if he wasn't her type."

"Don't I get a say in this? I'm right here!" Katara protests.

"They were together three years and she _still_ broke up with him," Toph says to Sokka, clearly ignoring Katara. "Besides, remember Jet?"

"Toph!" Katara buries her face in her hands.

"Who's Jet?" Zuko and Suki ask at the same time.

"No one!" Katara slams a fist on the coffee table. "Can we talk about something else, _please?_ "

"Oh yeah!" Toph sits up excitedly. "It's my turn on Never Have I Ever!"

Zuko groans. "I didn't think we were still playing."

"Never have I ever…" Toph smirks at Katara's direction. "Had sex in a public place!"

Katara fumes while Sokka and Suki down their drinks unashamedly.

Toph drums her fingers on the table, smirking. "C'mon, Sweetness, I'm waiting. You can't lie on Never Have I Ever."

Katara could feel her entire body heating up. She glares venomously at Toph and begrudgingly takes a sip of her margarita.

"With the bald guy?" Zuko blurts out. He can't imagine that cheerful, almost innocent guy doing the deed in public.

Katara turns her glare on him. "Can you _not_ call him 'the bald guy', _Scarface_?"

"You and Aang did it in a public place?" Suki whistles. "Never knew you guys had it in you, Katara."

Toph sniggers. "Oh, it wasn't with Aang."

Katara buries her face in her hands with a frustrated squeal.

"Why are you so _intent_ on bringing Jet up?" she moans into her hands.

"Payback for dragging me to the spa," Toph snickers.

"Going to the spa is _our thing,_ Toph! I didn't think you minded this much," Katara rolls her eyes at the memory of Toph paying extra for five more minutes of the Swedish massage. "Besides, I don't know why Jet has anything to do with that!"

"I'm trying to prove a point to Sokka, Sweetness, so if you could just pipe down for a sec, that would be great."

"What _point_ are you trying to prove, exactly?" Katara crosses her arms over her chest.

"Oh, come on," Sokka complains, catching on to Toph's point, "I never really liked Jet on account of him being a total dirtbag and him groping my baby sister every chance he got-"

"I could very well take care of myself, Sokka-"

"Oh really, because that's not how I remember it when I had to rescue you and Aang from almost getting _arrested-_ "

"Who _is_ Jet?" Zuko wonders out loud over the heated conversation, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"He's this kid in high school who got held back a year because of all the stuff he wrecked," Sokka explains, dislike dripping in his tone. "Flooding the principal's office, smoking behind the gym, joining a motorcycle gang, all that crap."

"Katara was obsessed with him," Toph adds mischievously.

"I was not _obsessed_ with him," Katara pipes in weakly. "I just… really liked him, that's all."

"Yeah, you _really liked_ him," Tophrepeats mockingly, rolling her milky green eyes, "You liked him well enough that you got caught doing it in the football field."

Suki laughs heartily. "Seems fun, Katara."

"It wasn't," Katara mutters, busying herself with cleaning up the little bits of water that pooled around her glass.

It _was_ fun, she admits to herself, but the memories of how it ended between her and Jet marred every other feeling she had. She lied when she said she just really liked him, and Toph knew that. Jet is the first boy she ever loved, and after he left her the way he did…

Katara stands up abruptly, nearly crashing into Zuko on her way to the balcony. Why did Toph bring him up? Just to make prove that Katara has a "type"? Or to prove to Sokka that Aang isn't right for her?

 _Well, they're both wrong. Both Jet and Aang weren't right for me._

"You know, for someone with such strong convictions, you sure can't decide on your dating life."

The raspy voice startles her, but she doesn't turn around. Instead, she says in an exasperated voice, "Why are you here?"

"This is my house," Zuko says, matter-of-factly. Katara glares at him over her shoulder. "Also, they've, uh, kinda elected me to talk to you." His hand finds the back of his neck as he looks away, embarrassed.

Katara turns to face him and leans on the railings. "Well then, go ahead. Talk."

Zuko drops his hand from his nape and looks at her guiltily. "I don't really know what to say."

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "Then why'd they send you here?"

Zuko chuckles darkly. "Because your brother and his fiancee don't know me well enough to know I _don't_ talk, and Toph's too wasted to even stand up."

"Great, so what good are you?"

Zuko shrugs and offers her a fresh bottle of beer. Katara rolls her eyes but swipes it off his hand regardless. He joins her by the railings.

Katara takes a sip from the bottle and passes it to him wordlessly. He takes a swig and passes it back to her. They pass the bottle back and forth a few times in silence until Zuko blurts out, "It's okay to be embarrassed, you know."

 _Dammit, why did I say that? I must be drunker than I thought._

But Katara doesn't seem to mind. She just passes him the bottle and asks sourly, "Yeah? You don't think I'm a… a… floozy or something?"

Something between a snort and a laugh escapes from Zuko. " _Floozy?_ Who uses that word?"

He expected her to retaliate, for her temper to flare up again, but instead she just hugs her arms and says in a small voice, "So you think I'm a floozy, huh?"

"What? No!" Zuko says, confused. "I never said that! I mean, you were in high school. People do all sorts of crazy stuff in high school."

Katara shrugs and takes the bottle from him. She takes a long drink before speaking again in a voice barely above a whisper. "I think he just wanted to get caught. To get back at his parents for getting divorced or something. And I fell for it."

"He _used_ you to get back at his parents?" Zuko says, his temper rising for some reason he can't understand. He blames it on the alcohol.

Katara takes a swig from the bottle again. She winces as she hands him the beer, but whether it was from the drink or the memories, Zuko doesn't know.

"I hated myself after that," Katara continues, her hands gripping the balcony railings tightly. "That wasn't me. I don't do stuff like that. I just got caught up because I really loved him."

"Well," Zuko drinks from the bottle, searching for words to say. "Toph's an ass for bringing it up."

Katara snorts half-heartedly. "She was right, too, though. About Aang. He just wore me down. I really care about him, but listening to him make all these plans for our future— that wasn't me, either."

"I get it," Zuko says before he could stop himself. "That's why I left Mai, my last girlfriend. She expected me to be someone I don't want to become."

 _Still no excuse for breaking up with her using a note, though,_ Katara thinks to herself.

"I heard that." Zuko says, smirking.

"Why do you always hear my thoughts?" Katara cries out in frustration.

"Because you say them out loud, dummy," Zuko replies calmly. He sets down the empty bottle of beer they've been sharing.

Katara giggles unexpectedly. Zuko looks at her, brows furrowed. "Why are you laughing?"

"You must have been such a chicken not to break up with her face to face," she laughs slightly.

"Well, I find it easier to write down my thoughts than to say them out loud like you do."

She flicks him on the arm. "I can't help it! No one ever noticed before. Besides," she says, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, "Is it really so bad? You said it was cute."

"When did I say it was cute?" Zuko asks in surprise.

Katara's eyes widen as she realizes what she said. "Towards the end of our date," she mumbles, busying herself with her hair so as not to look at him.

Zuko watches her hands, transfixed, as she continues to play with her hair, before suddenly reaching out and pulling the lock of hair away from her fingers.

"Stop that. You're making me dizzy." He says, still holding the lock of her hair delicately between his fingers.

"You're drunk!" Katara dissolves into a fit of giggles again.

"Am not," Zuko mutters, twirling her dark hair around his pale fingers with unexplainable fascination.

Katara swats his hand, laughing. "Quit playing with my hair, then."

Zuko startles, dropping the lock of hair from his fingers. He didn't realize how close they'd gotten, their arms brushing against each other. His eyes lock on hers, and he is drowning in blue.

He'd seen blue eyes like hers before, but none of them are capable of holding so much emotion as hers. Whether they were livid, like they were at the rooftop party, or sparkling playfully and curiously, like they are now, Zuko knows he has never seen eyes quite like hers.

Katara's breath catches in her throat. They are so close to each other that she could feel the heat of his arm against hers. His face fills her vision— she sees his lips part as though he is about to say something, and she sees his eyes peering at her through thick black lashes. She swallows as she realizes something.

She hadn't noticed the color of his eyes before, which is curious, because they are such a peculiar shade that she thinks she imagined it for a second. But as his eyes bored into hers, she wonders to herself why she has not noticed until now.

His eyes are gold. Like the dying embers of a sunset.

Her heart thunders in her chest. His gold eyes flicker to her lips and back to her eyes. Impulsively, she leans forward, drawn to those curious golden eyes.

He leans forward, too, but then he stops, closes his eyes, and lets out a gust of warm breath that, ironically, sends shivers down Katara's spine.

"You're drunk, too," he says, somewhat painfully, his eyes still closed.

Katara takes a step back, her heart still racing. "Am not," she whispers.

"Are too." He looks at her with a half-hearted smile and sighs again, but they are not close enough anymore for Katara to feel his warm breath.

Zuko opens the door to the balcony. "You and Toph can take my room. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Why can't I take Toph's room?" Katara says, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Because then your brother and his girlfriend would have to take my room, and I don't want other people having sex on my bed."

He blushes as he says the words, but glancing at Katara and seeing her cheeks turn red, he feels a slight wave of gratification.

He pokes Toph awake as he passes by the group around the table and explains the sleeping arrangement to the three. Sokka and Suki rush to Toph's room hand in hand and giggling while Toph trudges to his room sleepily. Katara and Zuko trail closely behind.

As Toph plunks herself on the bed, Katara turns hesitantly to Zuko, standing at the threshold of his bedroom.

"Hey, Zuko?" she ventures timidly.

"Yeah?"

"Did I really scare you on our date?"

Zuko's lips twitch up at the corners. "Yes," he answers honestly.

Katara smiles back at him. "Good," she says, closing the door.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm so sorry if this was all over the place! This is actually how Never Have I Ever usually ends up between me and my friends- sloppy and loud and stupid. Tbh writing this chapter made me a bit uncomfortable ahaha. Oh well. Please leave a review!


	10. Casual Dating

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10: Casual Dating**

 _This is the last time I use a dating app._

Katara makes sure her mouth is clamped shut when she thinks those words.

Not that this is a bad date. Haru is nice. Sweet. Gentle. Kind. Cute, even, with sparkling green eyes and sleek brown hair. He listens to her stories about the kids at the pre-school. He laughs at the right moments. He asks questions that prompt her to talk more about herself.

But he has a goddamn moustache.

She was expecting someone clean-shaven, like the one in the dating profile. But he showed up and he had a moustache and it is _definitely_ not okay.

Haru takes a sip of his cappuccino. Katara tries not to cringe as little flecks of foam stick to his _goddamn_ moustache. He smiles brightly at her, unaware of her flinching.

"I think it's great you're thinking of studying again," Haru says, still not wiping the flecks of foam in his facial hair.

Katara painfully peels her sight from the foam to meet Haru's eyes. She smiles awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm actually looking up graduate programs in University of Gao Ling and Ba Sing Se University. They're nearest here, so I can commute easily after work."

"Oh, hey! I'm actually a researcher for the Geology Department at BSSU. Maybe I could show you around the campus."

 _Will you have shaved your moustache by then?_ Katara thinks while gulping the last of her coffee. Out loud, she says, "That's great, Haru. I really appreciate it."

Haru smiles at her, oblivious. "Cool. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Katara replies, grabbing her purse. She glances at Haru and notices the flecks still in his moustache.

 _At least in the movies I wouldn't be able to see it._

* * *

"Suki, _why_ did you even suggest online dating?"

"Uh oh," Suki says on the other end of the phone call. "Did he turn out to be a creepy old man who just wants your money?"

"What?" Katara replies, aghast. She doesn't even care that the other passengers on the bus were looking at her. "People do that?! Isn't that illegal?"

"It depends on the circumstances," Suki explains in her best police officer voice. "Did he assault you?"

"No," Katara says, a little defensively.

"Did he take you somewhere you were uncomfortable with?"

"No, we just went for coffee and a movie."

"That's it?" Suki replies in disbelief. "What crawled up your butt, then?"

"He had a moustache! He didn't look like his freaking photo and I got my hopes up for nothing!"

Suki laughs. "Oh, honey. I keep forgetting your dating history consists of high school delinquent and the nicest boy in the world. Well, welcome to online dating. You don't get what you swipe for."

"Maybe…" Katara bites her lip. "Maybe I'm just not dateable, Suki."

"Hold up, I am _not_ gonna let you throw a pity party for yourself. Although…"

"Although what?" Katara says, adjusting her bag as her stop nears.

"Maybe you just need to loosen up a little." Suki's voice grows a little earnest. "Come on, you're, what, twenty-four, twenty-five? Dating's supposed to be fun! Every guy you date doesn't have to check everything in your list. If I did that back then I wouldn't be marrying your brother."

"I guess I could do that…" Katara mutters hesitantly, stepping off the bus and walking to her apartment. "Yeah. I should, like, be casual and stuff…"

"You don't know how, do you?" Suki asks teasingly.

"Of course I don't, Suki!" Katara blurts out. "Who did you think was the adult in my relationship with Aang? Who has to keep the kids at the preschool from running with scissors and eating glue? Who had to stop Sokka and Toph from doing every reckless plan they cooked up?"

 _The only time I let myself be irresponsible was with Jet, and look where it got me,_ thinks Katara, but she manages to keep her mouth shut for that one.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Suki placates. The way she says it was so reminiscent of her brother. "Katara, you put the 'mom' in 'mom friend', but it's not your responsibility to take care of everyone, you know. Even moms need to unwind."

Katara snorts. "Yeah, that's the reason why preschools were invented, Suki."

Suki ignores this. "Besides, I'm here, and I can keep Sokka in line. Toph's roommate takes pretty good care of her, from the looks of it. It's not so bad to have a little fun once in a while, you know."

"What does this have to do with dating?" Katara says, punching her floor number on the elevator.

"You broke up with Aang because you lost yourself in the role of being his mom _and_ his girlfriend," Katara could almost hear Suki rolling her eyes. "Maybe it's time for some experimentation, my dear."

"Now who sounds like a mom?" she grins, despite herself.

"Ugh, you're rubbing off on me. Let's just hope Sokka doesn't notice or I'll never live it down."

* * *

"I always say the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you _weren't_ looking for at a _great bargain!_ " Iroh explains, cheerfully throwing his arms wide at the assorted mishmash of goods he collected.

Zuko groans.

"Uncle, do we really need _this?"_ he gestures towards the sculpture of a monkey with red bejeweled eyes, "I think it might scare customers away. It's not good for business. You'll lose all that money Toph gave you."

"Ah, but what is money compared to the beauty of the extraordinary, nephew?" his uncle says, placing an affectionate pat on the stone monkey's head.

"That thing is hardly extraordinary, Uncle. It's just tacky."

Iroh pulls on a hurt pout. "Ah, what wrongs have I done to the spirits that my own blood has such little appreciation for the fine arts?"

Zuko just pinches the bridge of his nose in response.

"Very well, Zuko, if you would not care to join me in marvelling at this masterpiece, would you at least care to put away the other things we have bought?"

"Gladly," Zuko replies, rolling his eyes as he gathers the boxes of napkins- the only reason they went to the store for, before his uncle pounced on the discount section. With the sheer amount that the old man bought, it took Zuko the better part of the morning to put everything away.

The stupid jewel-eyed monkey remains on the counter. He glares at it, wondering what accident he could fake to justify pushing it off its perch.

The wind chimes tinkle as another customer walks in. Zuko looks up to see Jin making her way to the counter.

"Hi, Zuko!" She greets, smiling warmly at him.

"Hey, Jin," he greets back awkwardly. It's been weeks since their first date, and it still amazes him that she was anything but awkward after the way he blew her off— he feels as though _he_ has to be awkward for both their sakes.

"I'll have the usual," Jin tells him. Zuko bustles off to prepare her order— Uncle was deliberately unhelpful whenever Jin drops by, supposedly because "there is no higher honor than presenting a lady the fruits of your hard labor". Zuko cringes at Iroh's proverb as he sets down on Jin's table a tray laden with peppermint tea and slices of lemon drizzle cake.

"Say, are you free this weekend?" Jin asks, reaching for her teacup.

"I'm free Saturday," he says, tucking the tray under his arm.

"Great! My favorite band's playing at BSSU then, and I snagged two tickets from this online giveaway… wanna be my plus one?"

The first thought that pops into his head is _What kind of band is it, because if it's too loud then I'm out,_ but he couldn't bring himself to blow her off _again_ , not when she was generous enough to invite him.

So he smiles slightly and says, "Sure, I'll be there," instead.

* * *

For such a bubbly girl, Ty Lee is a force to be reckoned with. Even though they were just sparring, Katara could feel bruises forming on her arms. Panting, she observes Ty Lee, who is still bursting with energy and has barely broken a sweat after their match.

Katara gulps down her water, sitting herself down on a bench in the locker room. She idly checks her phone and sees a text from Haru.

"Oooh, is that the moustache guy?" Ty Lee trills, looking at the message from over Katara's shoulder.

Katara laughs. "Yeah, he's asking when I'm free to hang out again."

"You're free now!" Ty Lee exclaims excitedly. "Why don't you invite him to get tea or something?"

"Tea?" Katara asks, bewildered.

"Yeah! We can go to that tea shop that Toph co-owns. What was it called again?"

"Jasmine Dragon," Katara replies absently, fishing for her towel in her gym bag.

"Yeah, that!" Ty Lee checks her own phone and pulls up Toph's number. "You can go hang out with him, and I can go see Toph! It'll be like a double date or something."

"I don't know…" she twists the towel in her hands. Despite Suki's advice, Katara still feels like she's just stringing Haru along if she goes out with him again without being _fully_ into him.

Ty Lee pouts. "Oh, come on, Katara! It'll take some of the pressure off if we're together, it'll be like we're just hanging out as a group. _Please?"_ She bats her big gray eyes at her. "I haven't talked to Toph in, like, _five days."_

Katara rolls her eyes because Toph's philosophy of "leaving them wanting more" seems to be working like a charm. And she can't say no to Ty Lee even if she wanted to. She might be all frills on the outside but she's as persuasive as the blind girl she's dating. Resisting is futile.

"Fine, let's go wash this gym stink off and go on a double date."

* * *

"Miss Katara! How lovely to see you again, my dear."

Katara smiles at Iroh as she and Ty Lee make their way through the weekend crowd. She's not surprised at the number of customers in the shop despite the afternoon heat; Iroh makes great tea and even better company.

"It's good to see you again, Iroh. Has Toph dropped by yet?"

"Ah, I'm afraid not," The older man says as he leads them to a table. He turns to Ty Lee with a twinkle in his eye. "You must be the charming young lady that Miss Toph keeps talking about."

"Toph mentioned me?" Ty Lee exclaims brightly.

Iroh tucks his hands into his uniform's sleeves. "Of course, Miss Ty Lee. I can say she is quite taken with you."

"Aw, that's so sweet!" trills Ty Lee, clasping her hands. Katara just rolls her eyes.

The shop's bell chimes and Iroh smiles apologetically at the two. "I hate to interrupt our delightful chat, ladies, but duty calls. I will have my nephew assist you with your order."

"Your nephew?" Katara calls to his retreating back. She tries to fight the awkwardness that bubbles up with the memories of game night at Toph's place a month ago.

"Oh yeah, Toph mentioned her roommate works here now," Ty Lee muses. "Remember that scarred guy from Suki and Sokka's engagement party?"

Katara blinks at her companion. "Yeah, I remember him."

"Suki said you were avoiding him, that's why you didn't hang out as much with the gang," Ty Lee pouts. "What happened with you two?"

"Nothing," replies Katara, avoiding her friend's eyes. Ty Lee tilts her head to look at her. "Whatever, Ty Lee. We just had a bad date. But we're okay now. I… I guess we're kinda friends? I don't know."

She's not exactly still pissed with Zuko. Somehow in the course of making frozen margaritas and cleaning up a trashed apartment, they'd ended up reluctant friends.

 _It's still awkward to pop in when we haven't spoken in a month, though._

"It's really not, Katara!" Ty Lee responds to her thoughts and Katara grimaces. "I know the gang gets together almost every other day, but that doesn't mean you can't be friends with someone you haven't seen in a while. You're still friends with Toph even after she left, right?"

"And Aang," Katara adds thoughtfully. "Fine, let's go get some cake before Haru or Toph arrives."

They've barely gotten up from their seats when Haru enters the tea shop, looking around curiously.

 _He still has a moustache._

Ty Lee shushes her and Katara straightens up and waves Haru over. His eyes light up when he sees her, and suddenly she's thinking, _Maybe the moustache isn't so bad after all._

"This place is great," he says, when they've settled down and introductions have been made and Haru had ordered them cakes and jasmine tea.

"My girlfriend co-owns it," Ty Lee explains proudly, ignoring Katara's raised eyebrows.

"Wow," Haru, to his credit, seems unfazed. He just frowns thoughtfully at his cup. "Good for her. I can't even save up to pay the rent, let alone own a business."

Katara laughs through a bite of cake. "I know what you mean. I'm still paying student loans and I can only hope I land a scholarship when I take up my masters."

"Oh, you're studying again?" Ty Lee says excitedly.

Haru raises his eyebrows at her, his expression surprised but soft. "You haven't told your friends yet?"

Katara shrugs and addresses Ty Lee. "I'm looking for programs in Early Childhood Education. My Nursing degree doesn't actually make me qualified for my current job, so I figured…"

"Oh, that's great! I'm so excited for you!" Ty Lee lunges across the table, nearly upending their teacups. Katara laughs as she hugs her.

"I'm still not sure I'll go through with it, though. That's partly why I haven't told you guys yet," she says. "Partly because I couldn't choose a school yet, too."

"Oh! There's this benefit concert my friends and I organized in BSSU this Saturday," Haru turns to Katara shyly. "I'm thinking… it could be a great way to get a feel of the place. If you're free, maybe we can go together?"

Katara immediately thinks, _no, I'm not free, Saturday's the only time I can get to do my laundry because on Sunday I have to write the kids' report cards—_ but when she opens her mouth, "Yes, I'd love to go," tumbles out.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, I made Haru cockblock any interaction between Zuko and Katara. There's more Zutara next chapter, though! And wow, this supposed one-shot has gotten so _long._ Bear with me please! And as always, leave a review and tell me what you think!


	11. Casual Friendship

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 **A/N:** This chapter goes out to my amazing twin, who finally discovered that I've been basing this story on her real-life adventures. Hope you enjoy this! :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11: Casual Friendship**

Zuko is right. Jin's favorite band, The Xirxu, is an extremely loud, extremely _extreme_ death metal band, and the scratchy screams coming from the lead singer grates on his nerves. The back of his scarred eye pounds with a mounting headache, but he stands patiently looking for an excuse to take a breather while Jin is still bouncing along to the tunes.

Mercifully, the song ends to raucous applause.

"I'm gonna go get us some drinks. You want anything?" he shouts over the whoops as the band starts up another song. Jin turns to him, flushed and beaming, and nods.

"Water would be great, thanks!"

Zuko heads to the tents set up off the side of the concert grounds, wondering why on earth people subjected themselves to this kind of ear-exploding music, when he hears someone shouting his name.

He looks around; there isn't anyone vaguely familiar around him, so he trudges on to a stall and buys two bottles of water. He was halfway through the quad when he hears the voice again.

"Scarface!"

 _What the hell?_

He stops in his tracks. Only his recent acquaintances have called him that. He peers through the rapidly falling dusk— and he thinks he sees Katara, waving at him from beside the organizers' tent.

 _Well, this is weird._

What would she be doing in an event like this, in this part of town, on a Saturday? Shouldn't she be doing laundry or something else a responsible person does on a weekend?

Katara jogs a few paces towards him and he sighs, running a hand through his hair as he meets her halfway.

"What are you doing here?" he asks as soon as he reaches her. He expects her to scowl at him, but she answers with a grin.

"Nice to see you, too, Zuko," she greets, drinking from her red plastic cup. "And to answer your question, I'm having _fun!"_

Zuko raises his eyebrows. "Didn't think you knew how to have fun," he deadpans.

"Hey!" She glares at him and Zuko smirks at the familiar expression. She crosses her arms. "I do _too_ know how to have fun! Those guys think I'm fun." She jerks a thumb towards the tent behind her. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I _was_ on my way back to my date when you called me over."

"Oh," Katara lets her arms fall to her sides, the contents of her cup splashing to the grass. "Is she fun?"

"I guess," Zuko's brows furrow. "Are you drunk?"

Katara examines her now-empty cup petulantly. " _Nah,_ I'm just tipsy."

"Maybe you should take it easy. This place is, like, almost an hour away from town."

"No way! I'm having fun today, remember?" She crushes her cup and throws it casually over her shoulder. Zuko frowns.

"Having fun doesn't have anything to do with driving home drunk, Katara. Is your brother gonna pick you up, then?"

"Nope, he's doing some underground rap battle tonight." Katara giggles and mock-raps in a deep voice. "' _That's right, I'm Sokka, it's pronounced with an 'okka'! Young ladies, I rocked ya!'"_

"What's going on with you?" Granted, he doesn't know her that well, but there's something off— and forced— about the way she's acting.

"I'm the kid today!" Katara yells gleefully. "Screw responsibility! Haru will take care of me!"

Zuko frowns. "Who's Haru?"

Katara mutters something that sounds vaguely like "moustache" before tripping over nothing. Zuko catches her arm easily.

"Okay, where's this Haru guy?"

Katara looks around blearily. "He and Teo and The Duke went to get water."

"Who are Teo and Duke?"

"It's _The_ Duke!" she corrects him, as though it was of utmost importance, then suddenly points to the direction of the snacks tents. "There they are!"

Zuko looks at the trio approaching them and drops Katara's arm. One of the guys is wheeling himself easily on a wheelchair, the other fiddles with a motorcycle helmet. The last one, the guy with the moustache— he assumes this is Haru— regards them warily as he reaches Katara's side.

"This is Haru," Katara introduces, latching on to Haru's arm. "Haru, this is Zuko. Toph's roommate. Y'know, Ty Lee's girlfriend."

Zuko snorts at this. "Toph moves faster than I thought."

"Frankly, I'm surprised they lasted this long," Katara says.

"Nice to meet you, Zuko." Haru smiles warmly at Zuko and offers his hand. Zuko awkwardly shakes it. "You seem familiar, though. I think I've seen you in that tea shop downtown."

Zuko rubs the back of his neck. "Ah, yeah, I actually work there."

"It's his uncle's," Katara supplies then flashes a mischievous grin at Zuko. "Hey, by the way, congrats on not being a freeloader anymore."

Zuko scowls. "Well, steak dinners _are_ expensive, especially when they're barely eaten."

"How did you two meet again?" Haru asks, glancing curiously between the two. Zuko sputters.

Thankfully, Drunk Katara is quick to recover.

"Through Toph. We go way back. She's actually a friend of mine from high school."

"Hey man, Jun's about to finish their set," the guy with the helmet calls out to Haru. Zuko takes this as his cue to leave.

"I, uh," he raises the water bottles in his hand in explanation. "I better get back to my date."

Haru smiles at him and wraps an arm around Katara's shoulders. "See you around, Zuko. Thanks for coming to our event, really helps a lot."

He nods back and Katara waves at him cheerily before leaning against Haru's shoulder. Zuko clenches his jaw at the sight and stalks back to the general area where he left Jin.

 _Why is she so nice to_ him?

It annoys him that he feels annoyed. Why should he be annoyed? Last time he checked, they are barely friends. Sure, she was nice to him on game night, but nothing can ever come from that. As Toph has pointed out, it's not like they are ever getting a second date. And Haru seems like a nice guy. And he is here with Jin, who miraculously likes him and overlooks all his awkwardness.

He smiles as he spots Jin waiting by the sidelines.

"Hey. Sorry I got held up. Bumped into someone I know," he hands her a bottle of water and she grins at him.

"Wanna get out of here?" She half-shouts, clearly still a little deaf from the band's performance. Zuko grins amusedly and, feeling a little bold, wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her deeply.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who still shows interest in this! Reviews are very appreciated. They keep me going.


	12. Pride

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12: Pride**

"There's a Pride March next weekend and Toph and I are going!" Ty Lee trills, sauntering into the rooftop of Suki and Sokka's apartment.

"That's great, Ty Lee!" Suki exclaims. "Maybe Sokka and I can join you guys, show our support. If Captain Piandao doesn't assign us more cases."

"I've never been to a Pride March," Katara muses, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Why? It's so fun!" Ty Lee plops down on a rickety chair beside them and props up her legs on the low wall. Katara frowns slightly. Seems like Toph's habits are rubbing off on her girlfriend.

"People dress up in whatever they want, and last time I went," Ty Lee continues, "This really hot gay couple proposed to each other at the same time! I cried like a baby."

"Aw, that's so cute," Katara agrees. "I'm gonna go, too. Is there anything I need to do? Make banners or dress up, too, or something?"

Suki giggles beside her. "You just need to be yourself, Katara."

She rolls her eyes. "Well, that means I'm gonna make a banner, Suki. Goodness knows I make enough arts and crafts everyday."

"Oh, please make one with macaroni!" Her future sister-in-law suggests, and Katara flicks some lemonade in her direction, laughing.

"How's it going with you and Toph, by the way?" Suki asks Ty Lee.

The girl beams. "It's been great! I can't believe we've been dating for nearly six months now!"

"I'm really happy for you guys," says Katara sincerely. It still fascinates her that the two are working it out, considering Toph's history of running away when things get too serious. Maybe the credit goes to Ty Lee's bubbly personality.

 _She makes getting milk from the fridge seem like an adventure._

"Who does?" Suki asks.

Katara doesn't even blink anymore when she speaks her mind accidentally. She just smiles at Toph's girlfriend.

"Ty Lee does. I think that's why it's going great with you and Toph," she explains. "She likes adventure, and you make everything fun. Even our impromptu tea date with Haru was fun."

Ty Lee blushes. "I do what I can. How are you and Haru doing?"

Suki nods. "You guys haven't gone out since the concert. How're you feeling about that?"

"We've both been busy with work," Katara admits with a sigh. "I don't know, guys. It's okay with Haru, but I'm starting to feel… bummed, I guess."

"Bummed how?" Suki prompts, setting down her empty glass on the rusty table.

"I don't know," she clutches her lemonade closer and everything she's been thinking about spills out in a rush. "I know you said I should have fun, Suki, but it's not fun anymore. I don't want to abandon him when he's talking about his dad going away for work or how his mom's store is failing, but I'm not really attached to him and it makes me feel like a really, really bad person but I honestly don't want this to get more serious because I just feel like I'm leading him on because I just don't see a future with him."

A very pregnant pause follows her speech as Suki and Ty Lee share a look behind Katara's hunched back.

Suki breaks the silence. "Sounds like you know what you need to do, Katara." Ty Lee nods solemnly and places a comforting hand on Katara's back.

"I don't want to break someone's heart again," Katara mutters. Aang's broken gray eyes fill her mind.

"What, and risk breaking your own?" Suki counters. "You just gotta rip off the band-aid, sweetie. Otherwise it's gonna fester."

 _Easier said than done._

* * *

"Lookin' great, Sparky!"

Zuko growled at his roommate's sarcasm and tugged at his red jeans.

Toph's girlfriend insisted that he wear "colorful clothes" for the Pride March instead of his usual black shirt and black slacks. She even came with a bunch of outfits that made Zuko cringe and wish he was six feet underground.

The only thing Ty Lee could coax him into is a black tank top with a print that read "I like my whiskey straight but my friends can go either way" in bold neon colors.

He only wore it because it is the truth.

Especially the whiskey part.

"I agree with Toph, Zuko! You look great!" The girl clasps her hands excitedly. "If you weren't straight, you'd clean up at the March!"

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose and counts to ten in his head. He thought Toph was particularly stubborn when she wants something, but her girlfriend is an entirely new breed of persuasive.

She even convinced Toph to go in a rainbow-colored romper. Not that the blind girl knows or cares how she looks like, but it is still startling to see Toph relinquish control like that.

"Let's get this over with," mutters Zuko.

"Oh!" exclaims Ty Lee. "We gotta go pick up the others at Katara's apartment. It's closer to the parade route."

"What?" Zuko sputters.

Toph grins wickedly at him. "She said, Sugar Queen's place is closer to the parade route. Want me to clean your ears for ya?"

"Oh, no thanks, Toph, but I may need to get my eyes checked. I can't believe you're all dressed up for a girl," Zuko teases, knowing it is the best way to shut Toph up.

She blushes furiously and punches him right at the hipbone.

* * *

Katara fiddles with the neckline of her tie-dye crop top. She trades her mother's necklace for a simple black choker. She can't risk losing the necklace at the march— she can't count how many times it fell off the past week. The clasps need to be replaced again.

"Katara! You ready yet?" Sokka hollers at her bedroom door. "Ty Lee just texted, they're heading up here already!"

"Coming!" she calls back. She grabs the banners she made— and is seriously proud of, thank you very much— and heads to the kitchen.

"'Equality in the streets and in the sheets,'" Suki reads one of her signs. "That's cute, Katara! What's on the other one?"

"Oh, it's the one you two requested," she holds up the poster board that reads, "Gays will NOT ruin OUR marriage!" in huge block letters.

"I came up with that one," Sokka declares proudly.

"Real subtle, Sokka," Suki rolls her eyes at her fiancé.

"Your talent for witticism stuns me," adds Katara dryly.

Sokka frowns at the two. "It was short notice! Let's see you come up with—"

Loud banging on the door cuts him off. Toph's muffled voice yells, "Open up, Sugar Queen! Let's get this show started!"

Katara laughs at her friend's enthusiasm and opens the door. Toph strides in and punches Katara's arm before she could comment on the blind girl's uncharacteristic outfit.

Sokka is quicker to the draw, though. "Wow, Toph! You can stop traffic with that jumpsuit!" He whistles, earning him a punch in the gut from both Suki and Toph.

"It's not a jumpsuit, it's a _romper!"_ Ty Lee explains from the doorway. Katara steps aside to let her pass, dazed at the flurry of colors in the girl's rainbow tutu. She almost closes the door when she sees Zuko lurking in the hallway.

"Hey!" She flinches at the squeaky quality her voice took on. "Come in!"

He nods, hands stuffed in his pockets, not quite looking at her. Katara shrugs it off to general discomfort— he seems to have plenty of that.

"Nice place," he rasps, the tips of his ears reddening.

"Oh c'mon," she dismisses. "Your place is way nicer and in a better neighborhood."

He shrugs, gaze wandering around the living area until he finally looks at her.

"You look… you look—" he clears his throat. "Uh, your flower crown's nice. Did you make it?"

"Oh, thanks." Katara reaches up to touch the hairband. She's almost forgotten she was wearing it. "Actually, some of my kids made it."

"Your kids?" His confused look clears up after a moment. "Oh. That's nice of them. Although, it kinda explains why it looks, uh, like it's falling apart."

Katara huffs. "Oh, give them some credit. It was really sweet."

Zuko snorts. "Now I know why Toph calls you 'Sweetness' and 'Sugar Queen'. I thought it was just because it's the opposite of who you are."

"Hey!" Katara crosses her arms across her chest. "Wanna go, Scarface?"

Zuko scowls. "You and your brother are the only ones who call me that."

"Katara!" Ty Lee calls from the adjoining kitchen. "The signs you made are _fabulous!"_

Katara grins when she sees the one Ty Lee is holding. "That's for you and Toph."

"What's it say?" Toph asks, hands flitting over the painted words.

"'Can't see rainbows but I know love,'" Katara replies.

Toph scrunches up her face. "That's so _cheesy_ even for you, Sweetness!"

"Hey!" She plants her hands on her hips. "Ty Lee told me you said that!"

"Babe!" Toph flushes a deep red amid the group's _awws_.

"It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" Ty Lee exclaims, wrapping her arms around the grumbling, blushing girl.

"Oh, this is absolute _gold_ ," Sokka laughs, wiping an imaginary tear from his eyes. "Wittle baby Tophie's all grown up and spewing poetry!"

"I will _end_ you, _Sokka with an okka_ ," Toph growls, her threat muffled as her head is still buried in Ty Lee's shoulder.

"I didn't know we were supposed to make signs," Katara hears Zuko mutter behind her.

"You're already making a statement, though," she points out. "It suits you."

"What?" He blurts out, confused.

Katara blushes. "I meant your shirt! 'I like my whiskey straight but my friends can go either way'?"

"Oh, yeah," Zuko looks down at his tank top and shoots Ty Lee a glare.

"It's the only one you wanted to wear!" she pouts. "You didn't even want to accessorize with that cute, vintage rainbow visor!"

"Everyone would've _loved_ that," comments Toph mischievously.

"Hey, at least Ty Lee didn't make you wear a dress like she did with Sokka," Suki chimes in.

Katara guffaws. "Oh my gosh, I nearly forgot about that!"

"You wore a _dress_?" Zuko coughs, trying to hide his laughter.

"It was a bet!" Sokka puffs his chest up, despite blushing up to his undercut. "And Suki liked it!"

"I liked it, too, Sokka!" Ty Lee says earnestly. "You have really nice legs."

"You should've worn that today, Sokka," Katara teases. "I'm sure the crossdressing community would appreciate it."

"Wearing a dress doesn't make me gay!" Sokka sputters.

"I never said crossdressing made you gay," his sister giggles.

Toph slams her feet on the ground before Sokka could answer. "Speaking of the gays! Let's haul ass!"

* * *

 **A/N:** First off, this has two parts! Second, I got inspired by a prompt on otpprompts on Tumblr under post/174933560598/imagine-your-otp-going-to-their-first-ever-lgbt. More prompts from this blog coming in the next chapter! Also, if you can't imagine what their outfits look like, I based them off on a simple Google image search of "outfits for Pride March" and Huffpost's "23 Fierce Pride Outfits To Wear This Year" lol. (I'm not the most fashionable person in the block tbh). Please leave a review if you're still enjoying this ahehe


	13. Prejudice

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13: Prejudice**

It is a hot day, and Katara's outfit isn't helping Zuko in the least.

 _Why is she showing so much skin?_

Granted, he thought she was cute when they first met. But "cute" doesn't even _begin_ to describe her now.

Oh, Zuko would be in _so much trouble_ if only he and Katara weren't arguing.

It's pretty easy now for Zuko to overlook her bare, toned stomach and the graceful slope of her neck and the light sheen of sweat that covered her dark skin. Especially when she keeps insisting she's right in the most annoying way possible.

"I've known Toph for _ten years_ and she _likes_ sour cream and onion chips!" she yells, hands planted on her hips.

"I _buy_ her groceries for her, and she's _never_ asked for sour cream and onion chips!" Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. "Who the _hell_ likes sour cream and onion, anyway?"

" _Toph_ does! And I do, too! So we're buying that and leaving this stupid store!"

"No way— we're leaving when we get her _salt and vinegar_ because that's what she _always_ gets!"

She throws her hands up and shoots him a glare. He scowls and grabs a bag of chips. She narrows her eyes and grabs one, too.

Leave it to Toph to get them in this mess again.

She could've asked Ty Lee, or Sokka and Suki to get her a snack. But _nooo._ The minute she heard that Zuko wanted to get water from a nearby convenience store, she saddled him up with Katara, who'd just off-handedly said she wanted to cool off.

Now here they are. In a stalemate. Over potato chips.

"Teacher Katara!"

A shrill voice and the pitter-pattering of tiny feet on sticky linoleum break their staring contest. A giggling toddler suddenly launches himself at Katara and another small boy, barely older than the other, skids to a stop near them.

"Bolin! Mako! What're you doing here? Where are your parents?" Katara exclaims in surprise, struggling with the wriggling boy in her arms.

Zuko rolls his eyes. Things would be easier for her if she'd just stop holding onto her bag of sour cream and onion chips.

"Moms had to check if our coupons expired," mutters the older boy, toeing patterns on the floor with his sneakers. "We were s'posed to stay where we were, but Bo—"

"Teacher Katara!" Bo says, trapping Katara's face in his small hands. He looks at her with wide, shiny green eyes for a moment, then points a grubby finger at Zuko. "Is he your fiancé?"

Zuko sputters. "What?! She's not—"

"No, no, Bolin. Zuko's just a… a friend," Katara barely suppresses a nervous giggle.

She leans toward Zuko slightly and whispers apologetically with the corner of her mouth, "Sorry. They just learned the word 'fiancée' because their moms got engaged recently."

"I like your scar, mister!" Bo interrupts, leaning toward Zuko as well.

"Really?" He stumbles back a little, hand automatically reaching for the marred side of his face. Bolin nods enthusiastically.

"Do you fight bad guys?" Mako suddenly pipes up. "Is that how you got it?"

Zuko shoots Katara a look of wide-eyed panic, but she just smiles and nods at him encouragingly.

He clears his throat and addresses the older boy. "Um, sure. I fought a bad guy, but he didn't go down so easy, so now I have this scar."

"That's so _cool!"_ Bo crows. "Where's he now?"

A grim look passes over Zuko's face. "He's locked up where he can't do bad things to people anymore."

"Whoa," Mako grins up at Zuko, eyes full of admiration. Zuko couldn't help but bashfully smile back at the child.

Bo bounces in Katara's arms excitedly.

"I bet you were like, 'No, Mister Villain, you won't get away this time!' and he was like, 'Nooooo!' and then you were all, _hi-yah, pow, bam!"_

"Bam?" Zuko chuckles weakly. The child's imagination baffles him.

"Mako! Bo?" a voice calls out from the end of the aisle.

"They're right here!" Katara calls back, and two frazzled-looking women turn the corner, their shoulders sagging in relief.

"Oh, Katara, thank _god_ you found them!" The taller woman gratefully takes Bo from Katara's arms while her partner fusses over Mako.

"Didn't mommies tell you to just _stay_ by the frozen food aisle?" she says, smoothing down Mako's hair. The boy pouts and murmurs something like, "Can't stop him when he runs off…"

The other woman sighs and transfers Bolin to one hip. "I'm so sorry, honey. We got held up at the register—"

"Baya's coupon-collecting problem will be our family's downfall," the other woman stage-whispers to Katara as she scoops up a grumbling Mako in her arms.

"I hope they didn't cause too much trouble," Baya says, her blue eyes flitting to Zuko.

"Oh, they were perfectly sweet," Katara touched her hair nervously. "I forgot to thank you guys, too, for the flower crown."

"Aw, it was all Mako's idea," the other mother coos, bouncing the aforementioned boy in her arms. "Wasn't it, honey? Didn't you say it would look pretty on Teacher Katara?"

Mako's eyes widen and he buries his face in his mom's shoulder.

Katara laughs. "Oh, Ren, don't embarrass him on my account."

"Ma!" Bo taps his mom's cheek insistently. "Ma, Teacher Katara's fiancé fights bad guys!"

Zuko runs a hand down his face as the two older women stare at him and Katara.

"Wow, Katara, congratulations—"

"Oh, no, Zuko's just—"

"You two look _great_ together—"

"She's not my— I already told him she isn't—"

"When's the wedding?"

"Well! This has been fun, but we better go!" Katara smiles a bit too widely at the family. "It was nice bumping into you guys! See you on Monday!"

She grabs Zuko's wrist and drags him to the counter to no protest.

They hear Bolin yell, "Bye, Teacher Katara! Bye, Teacher Katara's fiancé!" and they both pick up the pace.

Zuko heaves an almighty sigh once they reach the checkout. They slam their chips on the counter and practically run out of the building.

The two exchange looks as the convenience store's doors slide shut behind them— then Katara bursts into laughter.

"I can't _believe_ we just ran into my students," she giggles, doubling over.

" _I_ can't believe you'd actually choose to deal with kids on a daily basis," gripes Zuko, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, c'mon, they're adorable." She starts walking towards the street corner where they left the rest of the gang. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, just for a little bit."

"I didn't," Zuko mutters. Katara bites back a smile.

"Really? 'Cause you seemed ready to adopt Bo and Mako before their moms showed up."

He glares at her and she grins widely.

"They warmed up to you real fast, too," she continues, "They didn't even like Sokka at first even though he _actually_ fights bad guys for a living."

Zuko blinks and averts his gaze before stalking ahead of her. She catches a small smile on his lips as he passes her by.

"Aww," Katara catches up to him and playfully pokes him in the ribs. "Who'd have thought you were such a _softie!"_

His smile vanishes.

"I am _not,"_ Zuko growls. "Those kids were annoying. Like you. And sour cream and onion chips."

Katara rolls her eyes. "Oh, shut up and stick your damn salt and vinegar chips up your—"

" _Finally!"_

Toph is standing by the corner of the road with her arms crossed, feet planted firmly on the sidewalk, a dark scowl on her face.

"What took you guys so long?" she squawks. "I'm starving!"

"Sorry, Toph," the two say simultaneously.

"At least tell me you got barbecue flavored chips," she says, reaching blindly for their purchases.

Zuko and Katara exchange a look.

"Uh…" Katara gulps. "I got you sour cream and onion chips."

"I got salt and vinegar," Zuko quickly adds.

"Ew. You both suck." Toph snorts scornfully at them. "Whatever. Let's go home before I beat these people up. I swear, if another person congratulates me and Ty Lee, I will bury them six feet under."

"It _is_ stressful," Zuko mutters under his breath.

"At least you guys are _actually_ a couple," says Katara bitterly.

Toph fixes her pale green eyes in her direction and a slow, mischievous smile spreads over her face.

"There a reason you guys got back so late, Sweetness? Sparky?"

"No!" Zuko and Katara yell adamantly. Toph winces and sticks a finger in her ear.

"Alright, jeez. No need to make me lose my hearing, I'm already blind." She cocks her head towards the group of parade people congregating a couple of paces back. "Let's go drag Sokka and Suki from those swingers and Ty Lee from those acrobats she saw."

They follow the blind girl towards the crowd and she calls out over her shoulder, "Oh, and you two go ahead and eat those sucky chips you got. But you guys owe me money."

* * *

 **A/N:** This is a continuation of last chapter's prompt, as well as a new one from otpprompts on Tumblr under post/174957099487/person-a-and-b-are-in-the-snack-isle-of-the. I loved incorporating Bo and Mako here! Korra will make an appearance, too, but I just don't know when. Please let me know if you liked this chapter, it'd really help me and my muse a lot!


	14. Breaks

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14: Breaks**

"You're wearing an apron."

It is so simple, yet so _incredibly_ hilarious to Katara. Zuko shifts his feet awkwardly behind the counter. He forces himself to smile despite the unbelievable humiliation he feels.

"Good afternoon. What can I get you?"

Katara couldn't keep it in anymore. She bursts out laughing.

"Oh my god, you're even doing that chipper voice! Oh, this is too hilarious…"

If Zuko had any doubts that Katara and Sokka were related, they are all gone now. The way Katara wiped her tears of laughter from her eyes is too reminiscent of her brother.

Zuko fights the glare he wants to give her and forces his face into an indifferent mask instead, since he no longer has the energy to pretend to smile.

Seeing him turn stoic, Katara knows she shouldn't push her luck anymore, since they're at that delicate stage of friendship where you still don't know which buttons are off limits, but seeing him in this state was so vindicating.

"Your apron suits you, by the way. Your uncle has great taste. I'm surprised you didn't think they were too… girly… with all those flowers."

She could see his eye twitch before he spits out, "Would you like to hear about our specialty drinks?"

"That's alright, Zuko," she forces herself to calm down. "I'll just have a cup of jasmine tea. And some of those fire lily sugar cookies."

He nods and hurries off to get her order ready as she looks around for a table.

Iroh spots her from across the room and beams at her as he approaches the counter, hands folded over his belly.

"Ah, it's one of my favorite customers!" He greets upon reaching her. "You are looking more and more radiant the more you visit my humble teashop, Miss Katara. Has my nephew taken your order yet?"

Katara nods and points a thumb in the direction of the kitchens. "Yes, he did, Iroh. I'm actually just waiting for a table to open up."

"Ah, why don't you use Miss Toph's corner?" Iroh spreads an arm towards the empty table with a "Reserved" plaque on it. "She hasn't dropped by in so long, I'm afraid the cushions need to be reacquainted with their initial purpose other than displaying my wonderful taste in refinery."

"I did note your wonderful taste in aprons," Katara grins as Zuko emerges from the kitchen with her order.

Zuko raises his eyebrows at his uncle and Katara, who both stopped talking when he set the plate of sugar cookies down on the counter.

"The tea will be awhile," he informs Katara, then looks pointedly at Iroh, "I can't find the right container with all the new stuff Uncle brought in."

"Ah, I knew I misplaced something," Iroh hurries behind the counter. "Nephew, why don't you take your break now with Miss Katara while I find those precious tea leaves?"

"Uncle, I already took my break—"

"That's alright, Iroh," Katara cuts in. "I'm actually waiting for someone."

"Your date from the concert?" Zuko guesses. Iroh's brows shoot up curiously.

"Yeah. Haru." Katara uncomfortably shifts her feet, glancing at the older man who is still lingering by the kitchen door. Zuko takes the hint and follows her to Toph's table, carrying the plate of cookies.

"Sorry. Uncle's a huge gossip," Zuko says, as soon as she's settled down on the cushions. "Why are you meeting Haru here, anyway? I can't imagine it's because you like hot leaf juice."

"I happen to _like_ hot leaf juice," she mutters, then quails under his raised brows. She fidgets with a cookie.

 _I'm about to break someone's heart._

"What?"

Katara clamps a hand over her mouth in horror. Zuko coughs uncomfortably.

She slowly lowers her hand to reveal her pout.

"I figured… if I'm going to break up with Haru," she winces at her own words, "I have to do it in a somewhat crowded place, but still cozy enough that it softens the blow, y'know? I mean—"

She waves her hands uselessly in the air, and Zuko just nods shortly, clasping his hands behind his back awkwardly.

"— it's no longer _casual_ anymore, and I never really _did_ casual dating, but I just don't feel like I wanna get serious with _Haru_ and his _moustache_ and I-I…" she laughs nervously and plasters a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. This is so awkward."

Zuko shrugs. "Not the first time it's been awkward between us."

"I know," Katara smiles at him, eyes twinkling, "Glad we moved past that."

He snorts lightly. "Well, I'll, uh, bring your tea when it's done. And if you need back up—"

He shakes his head and walks to the kitchen. "Never mind."

"Zuko?" Katara calls out. He glances at her over his shoulder and she smiles despite her nerves. "Thanks."

* * *

"Aw, I'm sorry, sis," Sokka says through a mouthful of pizza. He tucks a despondent Katara under his arm. "Breaking up sucks, but it had to be done."

"How would you know?" Katara mumbles, staring at a random spot on the kitchen table. "You never had to break up with anyone. Even your thing with Yue was one for the books. I feel like I'm the only one breaking hearts that don't deserve to be broken."

Sokka gulps down his pizza and reaches for another slice, pulling Katara forward as he did. "Be that as it may, I still wouldn't want to see my baby sister unhappy. Even if you gotta break a few hearts along the way, it's worth it if you're happy."

"I don't feel too happy right now," she sighs, leaning her head on her brother's shoulder.

"It's not a huge loss, Sweetness," Toph says from her perch on the counter, punctuating her sentence with a healthy burp. She guzzles down her bottle of beer. "From what Ty Lee told me, it was a long time coming."

"I still feel like I wasted my time and his time."

"Enough self-pity!" Toph jumps down onto the linoleum floor and crosses her arms. "Now that you're not tied up anymore, _oh woe is me,_ you can finally get on with your school stuff! I haven't heard you complain about scholarships for _ages._ "

"Yeah!" Sokka shakes her lightly, "I miss all your color-coded binders, Katara!"

In spite of herself, Katara laughs weakly.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't thought much about school-hunting in— _oh no!"_ She slaps a hand to her forehead and immediately rushes off to rummage through her bag. Sokka glances at Toph, who looks around confusedly.

"What's going on, Madame Fussy?"

Katara groans. "I left my binder with all my application papers at the tea shop! I was so distracted after Haru—"

"Jeez, calm down, it's not the end of the world," Toph says, pulling out her phone. She waited for the tell-tale _bleep_ before yelling at the device, "Call Zuko!"

Sokka rolls his eyes. " _Shouting_ at it won't make it work better—"

"Who's the blind one here, Snoozles?"

"I'm just _saying—"_

" _Hello, Zuko here,"_ the voice from the speaker interrupts Sokka's griping. " _Is something wrong, Toph?"_

"Someone wants to talk to ya, Sparky," Toph grins and holds the phone out for Katara to take, missing her insistent " _No, I don't want to talk to him!"_ motions.

She takes the phone with a huff and turns away from Toph and her brother. She shuts off the speaker mode and yelps when Toph pinches her back.

" _Hello?"_

"Uh, hey, it's Katara," she slides neatly away from Toph, who's desperately trying to eavesdrop, "I'm really sorry for bothering you— Toph _insisted_ on calling—"

" _It's fine,"_ Zuko says rather gruffly on the other end. Katara frowns at his tone.

"Listen, I just— I left some stuff at the tea shop, it's a blue binder with some pretty important documents," she hurriedly says.

There's a shuffle on Zuko's end of the call before he replies, " _Yeah, it's here."_

Katara nearly melts in relief. "Oh, thank God! I can drop by the shop tomorrow and pick them up—"

" _You're applying to BSSU after you broke up with Haru?"_

"Wha— _don't go through my stuff!"_

Sokka whistles lowly behind her, muttering something about Zuko's guts and a death wish.

" _I had to make sure it was yours,"_ Zuko replies flatly, and Katara couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She all but growls.

"Well, quit it! You have no right to— oh, you know what— just bring it over to Toph's tonight!"

She hangs up without thanking him or saying goodbye. She knows she's being rude, but _he went through her stuff._

Toph holds out her hand for her phone expectantly. "I'm guessing you're coming over, Sugar Queen?"

Katara bites the inside of her cheek angrily. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Zuko picks up the blue binder as soon as he hears the keys turn in the lock. Katara glowers at him as she pushes past Toph and snatches her binder from his hand.

"Reading correspondence without the person's consent is against the law, you know," she says by way of greeting.

"I'll take that as a thank you," he replies, crossing his arms.

"Sheesh, you two need to lighten up," Sokka strides in after Toph and plunks himself down on the couch like it was an everyday thing. Zuko stares at him incredulously.

"Don't get too comfortable, Sokka. We're leaving," Katara tells him before Zuko could.

Sokka just grins lazily and pointedly burrows into the cushions.

"I'm a free man tonight, Katara," he says, reaching for the remote, "While Suki's out of town, I can do _whatever_ I want."

"Come off it," Toph cackles and leaps onto the couch beside him. "She lets you do whatever you want wherever she is, Snoozles."

"Aw, c'mon, I'm getting _married_ soon— let me practice my 'old ball and chains' speech."

"Fan Girl will _totally_ kill you if you call her _old."_

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. Beside him, he hears Katara huff in indignation.

"Well, if you two don't mind, tomorrow's Monday," she declares, nose in the air, "So _I'm leaving."_

There's a pause before Sokka and Toph erupt in raucous laughter. Katara defensively clutches her binder close to her chest.

"Oh, Sugar Queen, you never change," Toph plants her mud-caked boots on the coffee table.

Sokka conspiratorially nudges her side with his elbow. "Next thing you know, Katara's gonna tell us we can't copy her homework."

"Oh man, then she'll sic Gran-Gran with her big wooden spoon on us because we stole her notes—"

"We'll have to hide with Monk Gyatso and Aang again—"

"And Twinkletoes will tell her where we are 'cause he's lame like that—"

"Ugh, you guys are the _worst,"_ Katara interrupts the ribbing with a stomp of her foot. "This is why I _hate_ it when people go through my stuff."

She turns on her heel and slams the door behind her. Zuko feels a pang of regret as he heard her footsteps recede in the hallway, because now he has no ally against Sokka and Toph's craziness.

* * *

 **A/N:** This took me so long to write, I deeply apologize! Sometimes self-loathing just catches up to ya and ya can't do anything until you shake 'em off. Anyway, I know there wasn't much to go on here, but please let know where you might want this to go!


	15. Beach Bums, Part 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15: Beach Bums, Part 1**

"Hey, buddy!"

Zuko frowns. Sokka just grins as he lounges on the couch, flipping through the channels on their TV as though this was a regular thing. Which may as well be, considering how, about a week ago, Sokka was doing the exact same thing with Toph.

 _I just want a weekend without those two bugging me._

"What are you doing here?" He asks gruffly.

Sokka throws the remote control casually on the coffee table and laces his hands behind his head.

"Toph and I are going on a field trip with Katara," he shrugs easily, as though it explained everything.

"A… field trip?" Zuko could hear muffled, disgruntled noises coming from Toph's bedroom.

"Yeah," Sokka says, "She's looking for schools, right, and Ember Island Uni's just a quick ferry ride from here. So is Roku's Academy, but we don't have money for that, so we'll probably just visit and make fun of the snooty rich kids."

Zuko's frown deepens. "It's not _that_ snooty."

Sokka's bark of laughter draws Katara out of Toph's room.

"Oh, hi," she greets Zuko distractedly, then whirls on her brother. "Sokka, will you _please_ quit lounging around and help me and Toph pack?"

Sokka groans. "Sis, you _know_ I'm horrible at packing. You'll just repack anything I put in, anyway."

"That doesn't give you a free pass!" Katara gestures agitatedly. "I can't be late for my interview at Roku's!"

"I thought you didn't have—" Zuko interrupts with Sokka's words in mind, and Katara turns to him with the force of a storm. He clears his throat. "Did— did you get a scholarship for Roku's Academy?"

She blinks in confusion, some of her tense posture giving in to uncertainty. "I'm applying for one. Their Early Childhood Education program is top-notch. I didn't think I'd get to the second round of interviews."

He nods. "That's great. Just emphasize how much you embody the school's values. They eat that stuff up."

He makes for the kitchen but Katara grabs his arm.

"Wait, how did you know that?"

He shrugs and turns back to her. "I went there."

"Whoa," Sokka sits up on the couch. " _You_ went to the snooty rich people's academy?"

He crosses his arms over his chest. "It's not _that_ snooty!"

Katara tugs on his sleeve earnestly. "You _have_ to tell me how to pass the interviews! Do I… I dunno, do I bring the dean some pie or cookies or something?"

Zuko doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he runs a hand down his face exasperatedly.

"What kind of _back-alley_ school did you—" He starts, then catches himself. "Look. You don't bring the dean _cookies_. Just… show up, present your credentials, tell them how you'd be a great fit for the Academy."

"But how do I know if I'm a great fit for the Academy?" she asks, twisting her fingers together. "The only stuff I know of their values are on the pamphlet— and all it says is, ' _Honor. Bravery. Equality.'_ Is that it?"

He shrugs a shoulder in reply and goes to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She frowns and follows him, undeterred.

"It seems so… _archaic_ ," she says from the other side of the open fridge door, "Do I just shout, 'Honor!' while waving a sword around?"

Zuko nearly cracks his head against the freezer— he groans as he closes the fridge.

"Sorry," Katara apologizes sheepishly. "I was just kidding. But seriously, though—"

"Y'know what, Fussy Britches," Toph pops her head through the doorway, "If you're gonna be asking Sparky all these questions, we might as well bring him along. There's plenty of room in the cottage we reserved."

Katara glances at Zuko as Zuko scowls at Toph.

"Um, maybe not, Toph," she says, fiddling with her necklace.

"Why not?" she asks in that tone that implied she's had enough of being bossed around, "You're the one who said Roku's was your dream school, Sugar Queen, and here you got an alum who can make your life easier and show ya 'round campus."

Katara pouts at her. "I thought that was what you and Sokka were gonna do."

Toph snorts and gestures between her and the living room, where Sokka is. "Did _we_ go to the snooty place, Sweetness?"

Zuko bites his tongue because otherwise he'd have told them _it's not that snooty_ for the third time.

"I don't want to trouble him," Katara tells her, and Zuko grumbles.

"I'm right here, you know," he says, crossing his arms. Katara rolls her eyes and turns to him.

"I don't want to trouble you," she spits out. "There, are you happy now?"

"I'm never happy," he replies, arms still crossed.

" _Yeah, well, whose fault is that,"_ she mutters to herself, and Zuko smirks.

"Wow, I haven't heard you talk to yourself in _ages,"_ he comments, because maybe if he annoys her even more they'll leave quicker.

In the back of his mind, he's still wondering why Toph would want him to be friends with these people. They have no sense of personal space, figurative or otherwise.

But Katara just sticks her tongue out at him. "Ha-ha. Nice try, Scarface, but I wasn't talking to myself."

"Are you comin' or what, dude?" Sometime during their exchange, Sokka and Toph apparently had time to go through his room. He hefts a bulging backpack onto the counter. "Toph says this is your 'go bag'? Why'd you need a go bag for?"

"It's none of your business!" Zuko almost roars, and Sokka holds his hands up appeasingly.

"Okay, okay, jeez, you're so touchy."

Toph deposits her own duffel bag onto the counter, blowing her overgrown bangs from her face exasperatedly.

"C'mon, Sparky, you said so yourself that you need a vacation from Gramps and tea and that girl you're dating," she says, making Zuko groan and make his way to his room.

She just blocks his entry.

 _Brat._

"You're never gonna let up, aren't you?" He asks with a defeated sigh.

His roommate grins at him victoriously. "I promise not to laugh at you too much when you end up having fun."

"Fine." He pulls out his phone with one last glare at the blind girl. "I'll call Uncle."

 _Maybe he can get me out of this mess._

* * *

Iroh didn't get him out of this mess.

The sea breeze is nice, though. Zuko has always loved the sea.

It would have been nicer if Toph isn't getting seasick all over the edge of the ferry.

"Man," she says, wiping a hand across her mouth, "I forgot how much I hate ships."

"Serves you right," Zuko replies, but hands over a bottle of water anyway. She takes a few gulps and leans across the railing.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll still be thanking me after this, Sparky," she grins mischievously, hair whipping wildly in the wind.

"I don't see why," grumbles Zuko. He's still convinced she's somehow bribed Uncle to let him go on this trip.

"I _can't_ wait to relax on the beach!" Sokka strides casually towards them, hands digging into a bag of chips.

Katara follows behind him, arms full of loose paper, brows furrowed as she shuffles through the stack. The siblings seem perfectly acclimatized to the rocking of the ferry, unlike Toph— the ship pitches slightly and Toph faces the water again, sliding down to her knees, but Katara barely stumbles, busy as she is.

A wayward paper gets caught in the breeze, and Zuko catches it easily before it flies into the sea. He examines at the markings on the paper.

"Is this one of your kids' drawings?" He asks, handing it to her. She glances at the paper distractedly.

"No, that's Sokka's," she replies, still sorting through her things.

Zuko stifles a laugh and tries to disguise it as a cough, but Sokka snatches the doodle out of his hands with cheese-covered fingers.

"I'll have you know that is one of my masterpieces, and it was very well-received by Katara's students," he grumbles, tucking it safely into his pocket.

"I think it's a real piece of fine art, Snoozles," Toph comments weakly, but Sokka just rolls his eyes.

"Not gonna fall for that again, Toph."

She just waves a hand at him. "Ain't on top of my game today."

"I can't find my scholarship application paper!" Katara cries out suddenly, brandishing her documents around. "I don't know where I put it— I had it all organized—"

"They have forms at admissions," Zuko shrugs offhandedly. "As long as you still have the other requirements, you'll be fine."

"You think so?" She asks, clutching her papers to her chest.

"That's why we brought ya along, Sparky," Toph gargles water from the bottle and spits it out into the sea. "You're the official bomb diffuser now."

* * *

"This view is _awesome!"_ Sokka flings open the doors to the veranda. "Seriously, Katara. If you get into Ember Island Uni, Suki and I will visit you _all_ the _freaking_ time."

"Hmm, I think you just went the wrong way in convincing me," Katara teases, "I can stand Suki, but you and your smelly socks? No thanks."

Her brother clutches his chest melodramatically. "You'd turn away your own _flesh and blood_ just like that?"

"Yes." She doesn't even hang around for his reply as she plods down the hallway, checking out the rooms. The cottage they rented is modest, but it has everything they need— and more.

She's pleased to discover two bathrooms— she wouldn't have to feel guilty about her "water hogging", as Sokka often called her baths— and when she finds the only room with access to the beach, she immediately snags it.

Sometimes she wonders what friends Toph encountered; they had to be rich, if they can afford to let her borrow a beach house like this.

"Oh, sorry. I thought this room was free."

She turns to see Zuko in the doorway, "go bag" in hand.

"Well, sucks for you, Scarface, the good room's taken." She grins, making a show of throwing herself on the soft bed.

Zuko rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to retort when his phone pings.

The strangest, softest expression grows on his face as he reads the message. Katara barely has time to marvel at the change when his phone rings and the expression slips into his usual disgruntled scowl. He turns away as he answers the call, absently walking into the room across hers and closing the door.

Curiosity gets better of her and she leaps off the bed and presses her ear against the closed door.

" _Yeah, I was just about to text you back… you know I hate phone calls, you're no exception_ —"

"Whatcha doin', Sugar Queen?"

"Toph!" she jumps, pushing herself away from the door. The blind girl smirks at her, arms crossed.

"Were you _spying_ on Sparky?"

"No!" Her answer comes out as a squeak. She presses a hand to her forehead, silently reprimanding herself for eavesdropping.

Toph doesn't seem to care.

Then again, she _is_ Toph. Eavesdropping on conversations is as normal to her as breathing.

"What's got you so curious?" Already, Toph's listening gleefully at the door.

Katara huffs and shakes her head. Typical Toph.

"Maybe we shouldn't—"

"Shut _up,_ Madame Fussy, I can't hear— Whoa!"

Toph falls forward into Zuko as he opens the door, frowning. His eyes meet Katara's for an explanation.

"Hey! Zuko! We were just— Toph was—"

He holds up a hand and pushes the grinning Toph away from him. She manages to punch him on the arm.

"I'm going out," Zuko announces, sending the two of them a glare— more for Toph, really, but glaring at her is useless.

"Oooh, gonna meet someone, Hotpants?"

"Yes," he doesn't even turn back. " _Don't_ follow me."

* * *

 **A/N:** I admit, I've been neglecting this fic in favor of 'This War of Ours'. Sorry! I'll try to update this as much as I can— I already have the second part of this outlined, anyway, since I had to cut this chapter into two parts since it was getting too long for my taste lol. Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you think!


	16. Beach Bums, Part 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 **A/N:** This was originally posted as part of Zutara Month 2018, for the prompt "Meeting the Family." This fic hadn't caught up yet to this chapter when I posted it, so if this seems familiar, yes, it's basically the same story I published before. Now that the context is clearer, let's head on to the story!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 16: Beach Bums, Part 2**

Of course they follow Zuko. These are Toph and Katara, after all. Nothing could really stand in the way of a meddling, mischievous blind girl and a nosy— _no,_ not nosy, just _curious_ — Mom Friend. Especially not after the phone conversation they heard through his door.

"Think he's meeting with that knife-throwing ex he told us about?" Toph asks, cracking her knuckles as they follow a safe distance away, keeping to the shadows of the stalls that line the beach town's boardwalk.

"Maybe," Katara mutters, idly examining sunglasses on display as she watches Zuko from the corner of her eye. "Isn't he dating that girl from the tea shop, though? Jin?"

Toph shrugs blithely. "Well, he's not _married."_

Katara opens her mouth to retort when Zuko stops. She flings a hand out and drags Toph into an alley, away from the young man's line of sight.

"What? _What?"_ The blind girl squawks. "What's going on, Sugar Queen?"

"He stopped by the tea shop," Katara replies, peeking around the corner. Yep, there he is, sitting at one of the outdoor tables, facing them and fiddling with his phone.

"Jeez, Sparky," Toph snorts, tucking her hands behind her head as she leans against the wall. "We drag him away from Gramps' place for a vacation and he _still_ ends up in a tea shop."

"Oh, there's someone approaching!" Katara tugs on her companion's sleeve and points at the brown-haired newcomer, forgetting Toph can't see. "She looks _way_ too young for him…"

"Ya never know, Sweetness," the blind girl grins deviously. "Maybe Mr. Hotpants likes shopping in the juniors section. We _are_ near Ember Island U."

"Remind me again why I wanted to apply for a masters degree in a party school." She bats her friend away and narrows her eyes at the stranger sitting across Zuko. "Too bad I can't see her face— from here, she looks barely legal. Or maybe she's just small, like you. I don't know. Toph?"

Toph pushes past her and swaggers into the street.

" _Toph!"_

"You really wanna know, Fussy? Let's just go ask him." Toph trudges on casually, and waves about four feet shy of Zuko and his companion. "Heya, Sparky!"

Zuko slaps a hand to his forehead and Katara resists the urge to do the same. She groans and tries to hold Toph back from Zuko's table sheepishly, trying not to be too obvious as she appraises the girl he was with, who has turned around at their approach and is regarding them with wide olive green eyes.

She _is_ young, young enough to be a college freshman, or a high school senior. Katara narrows her eyes. This couldn't possibly be his knife-wielding ex.

Zuko clears his throat and stands up, muttering a few words to the girl, and meets Katara and Toph before they reach the table. He scowls in greeting.

"I _told_ you not to follow me," he reproaches, arms crossed.

"Since when have we ever done what you told us?" Toph points out with a grin. "C'mon, Hotpants, introduce us to your date."

"She's not my _date!"_ Zuko scrubs a hand down his face, the tips of his ears reddening. "Look, I let you guys drag me here for this _field trip_ , so just— let me have a little privacy, alright?"

"Of course," Katara snags Toph's sleeve, ready to pull her back to their rented beach house, but the petite girl stands her ground.

"All privacy's gone out the window when you agreed to be my roommate, Sparky," she reminds him, milky eyes gleaming. "Whatcha hiding?"

Zuko sighs and turns back to his table. Toph cackles triumphantly and clutches the back of his shirt, pushing him forward eagerly. Katara sighs and follows them.

"Kiyi," Zuko calls out as they approach, "These are my… my friends. Toph and Katara."

"Oh! This is so cool!" The girl beams at them excitedly, hands clasped. "I've never met Zuzu's friends before!"

"Zuzu?" Katara laughs and turns to Zuko, who pinches the bridge of his nose and sits down without answering.

"Nice to meet ya," Toph salutes in the girl's general direction. Then she elbows her way to the table, feeling around for a chair and plunking herself down. "How'd you know Sparky?"

"He's my big brother!" Kiyi replies enthusiastically, bouncing slightly in her chair.

"You never told us you have a sister," Katara says, sitting between Zuko and Toph. Zuko's scowl lightens a smidge.

"I do, but Kiyi's actually my _half_ -sister," he replies, and Kiyi rolls her eyes.

"Mom always said 'halfs' don't exist when it comes to family," she chirps, tucking her short brown hair behind her ear.

Zuko's face softens into that expression that Katara saw before he'd left the beach house earlier, that expression that prompted her to agree with Toph and stalk him all over the island.

"Isn't it enough that I prefer you over my _actual_ sister?" He attempts to joke with a slight grin, but Kiyi's face falls into a pout.

"Hey, Azula's mean, but she can be nice when she… calms down," the young girl awkwardly traces patterns on the table. "I haven't really gone to visit her after…"

"I know," Zuko nods and sips his tea, and the two lapse into silence.

Katara squirms uncomfortably in her seat, silently cursing Toph for talking her into intruding on Zuko's private life. She glances around for a way to break the tense pause, but Toph beats her to it.

"No wonder you didn't want us to follow ya, Sparky," she chortles. "Hell, when Gramps said your family was complicated—"

"So, Kiyi," interrupts Katara, "Tell us about yourself. Do you live around here? Zuko didn't tell us he had family on Ember Island, otherwise we would've had an easier time convincing him to come."

"Oh, no, it was just great timing," Kiyi grins cheekily at her brother. "I'm just here scouting colleges. Dad's an Ember Island alum, and Mom and Zuzu studied at Roku's Academy, so I wanted to check them out for myself."

"Wow, that's great! I'm actually here to apply for their graduate program," Katara says, leaning forward in her chair. "We can check out the campus together, if you'd like, since Zuko already _graciously_ agreed to show me around Roku's."

"Only because you were hopeless!" Zuko rolls his eyes and addresses Kiyi. "Don't follow her example if you want to get into Roku's. She wanted to bring the dean _cookies_ and yell 'honor' in her interview."

"I _told_ you I was just kidding," Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm not _that_ hopeless! I know how academic bureaucracy works. I graduated top of my class at the Northern Institute!"

"You got your undergrad at Northern?" Zuko's brows raise to his hairline, and Katara smiles with vindication. "I thought… there were reports of professors favoring— I thought they didn't treat girls fairly there."

"They didn't," she says with a grim smile, "Until I _forced_ them to."

"No wonder you chewed me out on our date," Zuko says in quiet realization. "Remember? I tried to pay for dinner—"

"And you didn't even ask me if I wanted to split it with you even though we _both_ ate, all because you _assumed_ that all girls just pretend to reach for the check." Katara lets out a bark of laughter at his guilty expression. "Right after you made fun of my _low-paying_ job."

Kiyi clucks her tongue at her brother. "That wasn't very nice, Zuzu."

"Sorry," Zuko rubs a hand at the back of his neck. "You were right, calling me a sexist jerk."

Toph laughs deviously. "Sweetness can give sexist jerks the ass-kicking of a lifetime," she punches a fist into her palm, rare pride seeping into her tone. "Back at Northern, she just went all the way up against the old guys and proved how much better she was than the dudes. They had no choice but to give her the grades she deserved. It was awesome."

"Thanks, Toph," Katara tells her sincerely, but Toph rolls her head lazily in her direction and kills the moment.

"Yeah, but you're still a huge nerd for wanting to study again. We had to bring in Sparky here to calm down your obsessive school-hunting."

"It's not _obsessive,"_ Katara mutters under her breath, and Zuko coughs disbelievingly beside her.

"You _did_ apply for _four_ schools." He says flatly, and Katara throws her hands up in frustration.

"I wanted backups in case I didn't get into Roku's!"

He just raises his eyebrows at her. "You seriously doubt your abilities after you fought your way through the Northern Institute?"

She frowns at him and doesn't respond, because yes, she still doubts if she is good enough to get into her dream school, and it is just unfair that _he_ is the one to point that out.

Kiyi leans her elbows on the table and cups her face in her hands. "Your girlfriend is so cool, Zuzu."

Zuko and Katara both flush scarlet.

"She's not—!"

"I'm not his—"

"Why does this _always_ happen?" Zuko groans into his hand.

"Like _I'd_ know!" Katara cries out indignantly. "I get it when it was Bo and Mako 'cause they're kids, but—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kiyi waves her hands frantically at the two while Toph laughs in the background. "I just thought— you mentioned a date—"

"It was just one date!" Katara squeaks, her voice several octaves higher. She points an accusatory finger at Toph, who is still cackling. "Toph set us up on a blind date! I didn't even _want_ to go—"

"Me neither," Zuko says, glaring at the grinning blind girl.

"Aw, it's such a shame, though," Kiyi says, glancing between the two. "You guys seem really great together."

"Oh, um, we're friends now," Katara inches away from Zuko discreetly. "But we don't always get along— I mean, your brother's not as big of a jerk as he could've been, but— but the date was a disaster and— um, he went through my stuff!"

"You're still on that?" Zuko rolls his eyes exasperatedly. "I _told_ you, I had to make sure that binder was yours— you never forget stuff so I wasn't sure— I wouldn't have read your essays if I knew you'd be so—"

"Calm down, Sparky, she's just looking for things to be mad about 'cause she doesn't wanna admit she was wrong about ya," Toph interjects, and Katara bristles.

"Okay, fine! I was wrong, you were right, you win." She glances at Kiyi, who is looking at Zuko reproachfully. "I'm sorry. Your brother and I just started off on the wrong foot, but he's really sweet and helpful and he'd do anything for his friends."

"Well, I'm glad!" Kiyi bounces in her chair a little. "Zuzu's never had a lot of friends. Mom was really worried about him. But I knew he'd be okay! It's just really sad that she didn't get to meet you guys."

Toph tenses beside her and a memory surfaces in Katara's mind— she and Zuko, making frozen margaritas for Toph and Sokka and Suki, complaining about cleaning up after their drunk friends, Zuko laughing for the first time around her, asking her why her mother put up with Sokka's sloppiness.

" _We lost our mom in an accident when we were kids."_

" _Oh. I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."_

"I'm sure she would've been happy to meet all of us," Katara tells the young girl earnestly. "And I'm sure we would have loved her."

Kiyi smiles shyly at her and Katara smiles softly back. Zuko clears his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, it's getting late…" he starts apprehensively. "Is Ikem going to pick you up?"

"Naw, Dad's probably fallen asleep at our cottage in this heat," Kiyi giggles.

"Do you want me to walk you there?" Zuko stands up, hands in his pockets. Kiyi shakes her head merrily.

"You go on ahead! I wanna check out some souvenirs first before heading back." She stands up and swings her backpack over her shoulder. "Besides, you'll have plenty of time to walk me around when you give me and Katara a tour of Roku's Academy, right?"

Zuko smiles and shrugs. "Alright then. I'll just text you where to meet us. Don't call again, these two like to eavesdrop."

"Hey! We weren't _eavesdropping!"_ Katara shoots up from her seat, hand on her hip. "We were— we were just _overhearing!_ "

"Oh, give it a rest, Sugar Queen, we were _totally_ eavesdropping," Toph says, stretching as she gets up. "Led to pretty fun stuff though, I gotta say."

"Yeah!" Kiyi pulls the two girls into a hug, and to her credit, Toph only squirms a little. "I'm really glad I met you guys!"

"Us, too, Kiyi," Katara laughs as she pulls away. "If you get into Ember Island or Roku's, we can hang out more."

"I'd love that!" She bounds over to Zuko and hugs him tightly from the side. "If you're here, I'd get to see Zuzu more often, too, right?"

Zuko pats her hair bemusedly. "Of course. I promise. I'd visit all the time."

"Yay! See you guys around!" She squeezes him one last time and runs down the boardwalk, disappearing into the crowd.

Toph smirks at Zuko. "Your sister's so precious, _Zuzu."_

He groans and trudges back to the direction of their beach house. Katara falls into step beside him.

"For the record, I'm sorry we followed you," she murmurs quietly, so Toph wouldn't protest her sentiment, "But I'm really glad we met Kiyi. She really looks up to you."

There's that soft expression on his face again. Katara wonders if she has to bring up his half-sister every time just so she could see it.

"I wasn't close to my sister— Azula— when I was growing up. Not like you and Sokka. We took sibling rivalry to a new level, and I wasn't a good big brother," he says softly, slowing down so they could keep an eye on Toph, who is confidently walking down the road like she could see where she is going, "I just want to do right by Kiyi. I only reconnected with her when Mom was already gone, but it didn't stop her from treating me like I was really her brother and like we'd grown up together. She trusts me completely, and I don't want to ruin that."

"You won't. I know you won't," Katara takes his hand and squeezes it reassuringly. It was warm and calloused, but not unpleasant. Quite the opposite, really, but Katara decides not to deal with _that_ thought. "You're already a better big brother than Sokka, anyway. He locked me in the fridge once because he wanted 'intel' on what the inside looked like when the light's out."

Zuko's laugh rasps around the edges, and Katara realizes she still hasn't let go of his hand.

"Well, I'm glad you met Kiyi," he tells her before she could do anything, "Now she can bug someone else besides me."

She finally lets go of his hand to cross her arms over her chest. "Hey! I'm a little sister, too. Bugging people is how we show affection."

"Hey, slowpokes!" Toph yells from a ways away. "C'mon! I'm starving. And tired. Sparky, carry me to the house."

"Does that make Toph my little sister, too?" Zuko mutters, and Katara laughs.

* * *

 **A/N:** Now, I rarely answer questions here, but Waterlily753 brought up some stuff that some of you might be wondering about, too, so here goes:

This is a non-bending modern AU— no Avatar, no special powers, no spirits. I kinda got used to not answering this question because you can see it from the get-go on AO3, but this is FFN, so just making it clear here lol.

Most of the story is set in a modernized Earth Kingdom, somewhere near Ba Sing Se and Gao Ling. (There are no walls in Ba Sing Se. *wink*) I sort of imagine it a bit like downtown Singapore or the less-dense parts of Manila, with a healthy sprinkling of mom and pop shops as well as commercial buildings, and high-rise condos in one place and regular apartment buildings in another.

The four nations still exist, as you will see in upcoming chapters. Zuko's backstory will also be revealed in upcoming chapters, as well as interactions with Aang, because I miss him and he's my favorite cinnamon roll haha.

Now, as with all my fics, I exercised some creative liberty in here. Zuko doesn't know Ty Lee, because the Ty Lee here joined the force with Suki, right off the bat. And Katara may seem too uptight for some, and too goody-goody for others, but in my head, her badassery shows in different ways, and she's no longer fourteen, guys. She has more responsibilities, she's a stressed preschool teacher, and let's face it, being an adult drains the fun out of life. (She's lucky I even give her time for adventures lol my boss doesn't even give us weekends sometimes.) I also imagine Zuko here as a mix of seasons one to two Zuko— I think his awkwardness only shows fully when he actually knows them on a more personal level. He puts up thick walls, that boy, and he's still struggling with keeping his distance and stumbling over himself trying to make friends. I have chapters lined up that totally warrant the "Zuko is an awkward turtleduck" tag tho so watch out lol.

As for the writing— sorry! See, I believe that when you get into the heads of people, they don't naturally think about how the world works— which is why I included it as naturally as I could in this fic. You'll get to know what happens in other places when it enters the Gaang's radar. You'll get backstories as the characters themselves reveal it. Otherwise, it just feels forced (for me haha).

It is also a tendency of mine to shy away from the flowery, emotional writing that is rampant in most fics. The journalist in me cringes every time I try to be poetic in this fic, because it just doesn't match the entire tone of the whole story. My poet self belongs to This War of Ours, and frankly, this fic is the one I turn to for easy writing when things get too heavy in that other fic. So what you're getting here is actually a preview of Jacq the Tired AF Journalist, not Jacq the Passionate Fic Author hahaha.

This started out as light and fluffy and honestly just self-indulgent slowburn Zutara, and now it's snowballed into this whole thing that I'm desperately trying to flesh out as much as I can while still keeping the tone easygoing. I hope I can balance it all out.

Anyway, feel free to ask more questions, guys! I'll try to answer the stuff that's confusing as best as I can, and as always, please tell me what you think!


	17. Beach Bums, Part 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17: Beach Bums, Part 3**

"Why are you up so early?"

Zuko turns away from the lulling waves at the sound of Katara's hoarse, drowsy voice and almost smirks at the disheveled state of her hair, with all the random curls poking out at awkward angles.

His almost-smirk slides from his face when he realizes she is still wearing the thin shirt and shorts she slept in. She steps off the porch and onto the sand, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and he swallows and turns back to the sea.

"I always wake up at sunrise," he answers her. He feels the sand shift as Katara sits down beside him, just beyond the tide line. She yawns and leans back on her hands.

"I don't know how you do it," she mumbles, eyes half-lidded as she watches the dawn break. "I feel more alive at night."

"Why are _you_ up so early, then?" he points out, watching her carefully in case she falls asleep on the beach. "Toph and Sokka are still out cold."

She scrunches up her nose and runs a hand through her hair, tugging on tangles. "This is a _vacation_ for them. I have my interview at Roku's at eight."

"Oh, right," Zuko uncomfortably flicks a few grains of sand from his boxer shorts. "Do you… um… still want some pointers or… or a tour?"

"No, I— I think I'll be okay in the interview," she smiles warmly at him, some of the sleepiness leaving her features. "You were right. I fought my way through Northern. I can do this."

He nods, oddly disappointed and relieved in equal measure.

"I wouldn't say no to the tour, though." She scoots closer to him until their legs brush against each other and nudges him playfully— albeit sleepily— with her shoulder. "I can't wait to see Kiyi again."

He looks at her incredulously. "You just met her _yesterday._ Do you warm up this easily to everyone you meet?"

"Not _everyone._ I didn't like _you_ when we first met," she points out with a grin, and Zuko rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I think we already established I was a jerk."

"Oh, relax, Zuko, I was just teasing." She stretches her legs and lets the waves lap at her feet, sighing contentedly. "Like I said, you're not as big of a jerk as you could have been."

"Huh. Must've been hard, admitting you were wrong," he smirks, stretching his legs out as well. Katara rolls her eyes and flicks his arm.

"Don't push it, _Scarface_."

"Whatever you say, _Sugar Queen."_

She leans forward and flings water at his face. He scowls and runs a hand down his wet face— and retaliates with a bigger splash.

Katara yelps and kicks up a flurry of sand as she stands up to dodge, but his attack still catches her middle, soaking her shirt.

"Okay, okay! Truce!" She giggles— and thinks fleetingly, _When was the last time I laughed like this_ — and wrings out parts of her clothes. "I'm gonna go get changed and hang this out to dry."

Zuko coughs and stands up as well, looking at anywhere else but her. "Yeah, I'll, uh— I'll get started on breakfast, then."

"Oh, you don't have to—"

"It's fine, really— just… go get ready for your interview."

Katara bites her lip doubtfully. "You sure you won't burn down the house?"

"Will you just let me help—" He pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales sharply. "No, I won't burn down the house."

"Because if you end up doing what Sokka did to dinner last night—"

"I'm not stupid enough to _grill meat_ inside a house with almost no ventilation."

Katara snorts. "Whatever you say, _Scarface."_

Zuko rolls his eyes. "Don't push it, _Sweetness."_

* * *

"Do I smell breakfast?"

Toph pads down to the kitchen, sniffing. She sits herself down at the table and Zuko slides a plate of omelettes in front of her. She eagerly shoves the food into her mouth with her bare hands.

Zuko wrinkles his nose.

"Have you even washed your hands yet?" he asks, even though he knows the answer from Toph's bed head and the clumps of dirt and sand under her nails.

"Nope, _Dad,"_ Toph rolls her sightless eyes at him. "Sweetness is still hogging our bathroom."

"It's been almost an hour and a half. She's really still in there?" Zuko asks absently, pouring himself a cup of coffee and glancing into the hallway. Toph chuckles.

"Never get between Sugar Queen and her baths, Sparky," she says, licking her dirty fingers with relish. "Or if you're so impatient, go join her there yourself."

Zuko sputters and almost sloshes hot coffee down his front. Toph cackles.

"You _like_ her, don't cha?" Zuko coughs and she cuts in before he could reply. "I _knew_ you'd like her. I told ya. Don't bother lying to me, Hotpants, 'cause I'm _always_ right."

"You're _not._ Setting us up was a bad idea," Zuko says with a scowl, then adds as an afterthought, "And I have a girlfriend."

"Still don't hear ya saying you don't have the hots for Sweetness, though," singsongs Toph.

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. "I _don't."_

"Sure. Keep tellin' yourself that, Sparky. The sooner you admit I'm right, the sooner I'd lay off."

"Wow, Toph, you're really bullying someone into submission so early in the morning?" Sokka emerges from his room, yawning. "What's for breakfast?"

"Sparky's eggs," Toph replies with a meaningful smirk, holding her plate up and edging the remnants of her breakfast into her mouth. Sokka doesn't seem perturbed.

"Awesome," Sokka slides a plateful of eggs and toast in front of him. "Didn't know you could cook, dude."

His mouth twists into a grimace and Zuko's sure he's remembering last night's burnt leftovers.

"I'm not that good at it," Zuko rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, feeling the need to make Sokka feel better about his dismal cooking skills. "I kinda had to learn when… well, all Toph had when I moved in were cereal, chips, and a drawer full of takeout menus."

"I'd say 'thank you' but you nearly killed me with all the spices you used," Toph says blithely.

"I thought you were used to them! Uncle said you lived in the Fire Nation for almost a year, I assumed you'd adjusted to the flavor."

"I don't adjust to stuff, Spice King— stuff adjusts to _me."_

"You stayed in the Fire Nation when you left us?" Sokka intejects, looking at Toph incredulously.

"Who stayed in the Fire Nation?" Katara finally appears from her bedroom, combing her wet hair and adjusting her semi-formal blouse.

"Toph did!" Sokka points at their friend, who crosses her arms and looks away.

"You never told them?" Zuko asks while handing Katara a plate of eggs.

Toph simply shrugs.

"What did you do in the Fire Nation?" Katara sits down beside her, brows furrowed.

"I told ya, Sugar Queen," Toph waves a hand around a little too casually, "I had my own adventures."

Zuko frowns at her. "I thought you tried working at your father's refinery."

Sokka chokes on his toast, eyes bugging. "You reconnected with Uncle Lao?"

"Toph, that's huge! I'm so proud of you!" Katara launches herself at the girl, but Toph dodges the hug easily.

"It's not _huge,"_ she says, face scrunched up, "He didn't even recognize me at first. Tried to send me away, thought I was a trespasser. Good thing Twinkletoes was there."

"You met up with _Aang_ to go see your dad?" Sokka all but shouts, bits of egg flying from his mouth.

"Why didn't you _tell_ us?" Katara gapes at the girl.

Toph hugs her knees to her chest, unseeing eyes glazed with brimming emotions. Zuko tries not to feel guilty for dredging up her past— considering how close this particular group of friends were, he just assumed Toph told them everything.

"Aang's environmental non-profit shindig got wind of the refinery's violations," Toph finally says in an uncharacteristically small voice, curling further into herself. "He called me when he found out who the owners were. It's why I left all of a sudden."

"Toph," Katara reaches out hesitantly, and when Toph doesn't move, she throws her arms around her tiny figure tightly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Toph shrugs uncomfortably in her arms. "I knew you and Twinkletoes weren't talking then, and honestly, I didn't know I'd stay there for a year. I didn't even know what I'd do, y'know? So I never told anyone what I was doing."

"Is that when you met Uncle?" asks Zuko tentatively, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

Toph nods slightly, blank gaze still averted from all of them.

"Met Gramps at the bus station. Wasn't sure whether I'd turn back 'round or go face my father and tell him off, so I just sat there, trying to decide. Iroh just approached me and started talking to me like we were old buddies. He told me a story about ya, Zuko."

Toph smirks slightly at him, but it falls into a somber, thoughtful expression almost instantly.

"He said something 'bout you standing up to people when they do wrong stuff, even though they were related to you. Didn't know what he meant back then, but it pretty much sealed the deal for me."

Zuko fights the blush creeping up his cheeks and turns away. He feels Katara's and Sokka's surprised looks prickle his skin and desperately wishes he hadn't brought up Toph's year in the Fire Nation.

He clears his throat and addresses the edge of the table instead of the trio.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out well for you, Toph." _Even if it didn't work out for me._

"And I'm glad you ran into Iroh, Toph. It must've been so tough for you," Katara rests her cheek on her friend's hair. "I'm sorry we couldn't be there for moral support."

"Yeah. Not that we could change anything now, but you know we're always up for life-changing adventures, right?" Sokka reaches across the table to grasp Toph's hand. A flicker of a smile— a genuine, non-menacing, honest-to-goodness smile— appears on Toph's face before she wiggles out of the siblings' hold.

"Yeah, yeah, we're family and all that crap." She stands up and waves a hand in Zuko's direction. "We're making Spice King uncomfortable."

"Spice King?" Katara curiously looks at Zuko, who shrugs awkwardly.

"Yeah, just made it up." Toph's typical teasing grin finds its way back to her face. "Fits well, huh, Sugar Queen?"

Katara rolls her eyes and flicks Toph good-naturedly on the forehead. "Are you still on that? It's getting a little old, Toph."

"Well, Sparky's sister kinda shook things up again when she thought you guys were dating, y'know, so I thought I'd give it a go."

Sokka snorts into his toast. "Can't believe anyone who looks at you two would think you're dating. All you guys do is bicker and yell."

"Katara's the only one who does the yelling," Zuko mutters.

"Hey!" Katara yells, crossing her arms and glaring at him, "I don't yell _all_ the time!"

The other three just raise their eyebrows at her. Katara huffs and starts clearing the empty plates, mumbling under her breath.

Sokka fake-whispers to Zuko, "You sure you still wanna give her a uni tour when she's like this?"

"Sure. I have to meet up with my half-sister, too, anyway," Zuko whispers right back, watching from the corner of his eye as Katara clatters around the kitchen, washing dishes. He shrugs. "Besides, I'm already familiar with her temper."

Sokka claps a hand on his shoulder with a smirk. "You are a brave man, buddy."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, I admit nothing much happened in this chapter. I just wanted to get over it so I can move on to the more exciting parts. Please tell me if this is still interesting enough, because I have so many ideas lined up and they're all pulling me in different directions haha


	18. Ex and Whys

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 **A/N:** Alright, full disclosure, I borrowed this chapter's title from a local movie called My Ex and Whys. So lemme squeeze in another disclaimer: I don't own Cathy Garcia-Molina's work, nor have I watched this particular Liza Soberano-Enrique Gil movie. I just… I just really love a good pun, okay? Indulge my inner Sokka lol

Also, shoutout to IDidn'tSignUp4This for bingeing my works! It's thanks to you that I decided to update this haha

* * *

 **CHAPTER 18: Ex and Whys**

"How did it go?"

Zuko pushes himself off the pillar he is leaning on as Katara approaches from the Dean's Office. She smiles shyly at him, clutching her binder to her chest.

"I think it went great! Apparently, I 'more than exceeded' the expected grades in their entrance exam and my undergrad requirements were 'top-notch.'" She bites her lower lip to keep herself from squealing giddily and tries to nonchalantly wave the interview off. "I mean— Dean Shyu was probably just laying it on really thick because I mentioned in the phone interview that I was more inclined towards BSSU, but—"

"Katara," Zuko's voice stops her rambling, "Stop selling yourself short. You're more than qualified to study here."

She blinks at him and fiddles with the edge of her binder. "Really? You think so? I still feel like I won't fit in here— it's so nice and fancy— Northern was a small school, you know— and commuting here every weekend might get really expensive, even if the scholarship covers meals and lodging—"

She shuts her mouth at Zuko's raised eyebrow and chuckles sheepishly. "Sorry, just… nervous energy."

Zuko barely represses a snort. "Sure. Uh… wanna get started on the tour?"

"Wanna get rid of me that quick?" Katara quips, falling into step beside him as they make their way past the empty classrooms.

"Yes," he deadpans, then peeks at her from the corner of his eye. "Also, Kiyi just texted. She's in the quad."

"Alright. Where's that?" She grins widely and throws an arm out. "This place is _huge!"_

"We actually passed by it on our way here," Zuko explains, turning onto the tree-lined sidewalk. "Although, I have to admit, I don't know much about getting around campus from the School of Social Sciences. I didn't have a lot of classes here during my undergrad."

"Oh? Why, what did you major in?"

He shrugs, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Business Management."

Katara blinks, trying to reconcile the newfound information with what she knew.

Zuko sighs and stops. "What?"

"What?" mimics Katara.

"You have that look on your face," he points out, "Like you're itching to ask a lot of questions you shouldn't ask."

"I don't— I'm not—!" She blushes and crosses her arms tightly over her binder. "I don't do that!"

"Sure you do," he replies matter-of-factly, crossing an empty avenue to get to the admissions building, "You get the same look every time Toph mentions she did something you don't like."

Katara scrunches her face beside him.

"It's bad enough that he can hear my thoughts, now he's reading my face…" she mutters, trudging on ahead. Zuko smirks and follows her.

"Talking to yourself again?"

"Shut up, jerk."

They're almost by the grassy knolls leading down to the quad when Zuko breaks the silence.

"You can ask, you know."

Katara whips around to face him in surprise.

"Really?"

The expression is back on her face and Zuko wonders if he'll regret this decision. He nods before he loses his nerve.

Katara stops walking and takes a deep breath. Zuko feels his palms sweating.

"Why did you major in Business Management? Were you just aiming for a high-paying job? How did you end up jobless? Did you get into one of Toph's shady businesses and it fell through? Is that how you ended up as roommates?"

Zuko pinched his nose. "Wow, you really didn't hold back."

She places a hand on her hip, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I was supposed to take over the family business," he begins, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking forward.

"Ah, so you _were_ a spoiled rich kid," Katara teases. Zuko grunts in half-hearted agreement at her comment and continues walking.

"As to why I was jobless…" He swallows uncomfortably, keeping his eyes on his feet, "I had some… disagreements with my father about how he was running the company, so I, uh, had to leave."

"How could you leave if you were supposed to take over the company?" He could hear the frown in Katara's tone. "Couldn't you just wait until you're the one in charge and change whatever policy you and your dad couldn't agree on?"

"It's not that easy," murmurs Zuko, gaze still averted. "My father doesn't take kindly to opposition."

"That's just stupid," argues Katara. "How can you lead a company if you don't listen to different ideas?"

He shrugs noncommittally, hurrying down the sloping grounds. He's still trying to piece together his own thoughts on the matter when he sees a horribly familiar face approaching.

His blood runs cold.

 _No. No, no, no._

Distantly, he hears Katara curse as she bumps into him— he didn't even realize he's halted to a standstill— but right now, he couldn't notice anyone else but the woman in front of him.

"Mai."

She still looks the same: impassive yet sharp amber eyes, pale narrow face, thin lips, not a single hair out of place.

"Zuko," she greets, her raised brow being the only indication she's as surprised as he is. "I didn't expect to see you at Roku's."

"I, uh, I… I got dragged into—" he runs a hand over his face self-consciously, silently cursing his spirits-forsaken luck, "Um, I'm touring Kiyi— she's looking for colleges and I happened to be in the area—"

Mai's eyes flick to Katara, who is hanging back and trying not to appear too curious as to why Zuko is suddenly so flustered.

"That's not Kiyi," Mai says flatly.

"Oh, right! Katara and I were just on our way to meet her— this is Katara, she, uh—" Zuko turns to Katara, eyes wide with panic, and she doesn't know whether to laugh or take pity on him, so she settles on smiling at the newcomer. "Katara, this— this is Mai."

 _That name sounds familiar,_ she thinks, but in her line of work, she hears all sorts of names, so she doesn't really dwell on the niggling feeling.

"Nice to meet you, Mai," Katara says brightly, extending her hand. Mai shakes it briefly with long, pale fingers before addressing Zuko dryly.

"Are you going to break up with this one using a note, too?"

Zuko flushes bright red and chokes on his own spit, and Katara snaps her fingers as pieces of the puzzle click in her mind.

"Oh! That's why you're so scared! She's the knife-throwing ex you told us about!" Katara blurts out then claps a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. She swears she sees the corners of Mai's lips lift into an almost-smile.

"Glad to know I still scare you, Zuko," Mai says in her flat voice, the almost-smile seeping into her tone.

Katara couldn't help but pile on, especially since this was the most awkward she's seen Zuko. "He _should_ be scared of anyone he breaks up with using a note. I told him he was so chicken not to do it in person."

Mai huffs in agreement.

Zuko groans and covers his face with his hand, wondering how on earth he ended up in this situation.

Katara seems to sense he is at his wit's end, though. She shuffles backwards uncomfortably, albeit her sly smile.

"Umm, anyway, I'll go meet Kiyi at the quad so you guys can talk," she says, failing to hide her amused grin as she hurries away.

Mai watches her leave and Zuko sighs.

 _This is not a conversation I'm prepared to have._

"I like her," Mai comments, a glint in her eyes. "If you're going to break up with her, do it through an email."

"We're not—" Zuko groans in frustration and runs a hand through his hair. "Mai, what are you doing here?"

"Uncle got promoted to Head of Criminology. I'm the family representative of good will and congratulations." She rolls her eyes and doesn't look impressed.

"Oh, uh, good for him," he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. Mai's eyes narrow at him.

"I'm still waiting for an apology, Zuko."

"I'm sorry, Mai—"

She quickly cuts off his apology.

"Do you even know how _hard_ it was after you left?" She crosses her arms, and to anyone else, she may have looked only mildly annoyed, but Zuko knows better, and he knows it is his fault. Her normally composed voice cracks a little. "I woke up and you were _gone,_ Zuko. You didn't answer my calls or my messages. As if your _note_ explained everything to me. We were together for _four years._ We'd just started _living_ together. Didn't that warrant a face-to-face conversation?"

Zuko hangs his head. "Mai, I'm really sorry. I thought it was for the best—"

"Don't." Her tone is as sharp as the knives she loves to play with. "It was bad enough that everyone in the office seemed to know you left. It's even worse that they treated me like a broken little thing afterwards."

She averts her gaze and wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"The worst is not knowing why you'd gone," she murmurs, jaw clenched and words clipped. "I know you and Ozai had a big fight when you quit, but I don't see why you had to leave _me."_

Zuko swallows and straightens up, some of his nerve working its way back to his spine. She has to know. He owes her that, at least.

"Father _disowned_ me, Mai. He did _this_ to me," he gestures to his scar. "Just because I stood up to him. Just because I stood up _for Azula._ I know we don't get along, but she's still my sister, and I told you _weeks_ before I left that what happened to her wasn't right. But you didn't listen when I wanted to talk about it. You brushed me off for being sentimental. When I asked if you wanted to visit her, you refused. You said she deserved it. Sure, she was horrible most of the time, but she's your best friend, Mai, and you didn't even seem to _care_."

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes against the burning memories washing over him.

"You were willing to be complicit in the abuse just to keep your place in the company. You still wanted to go up the corporate ladder with me in tow, even when I told you I couldn't stomach it anymore. I couldn't be the one beside you through all that, Mai. I'm sorry."

She is silent for a few moments, face stony, hair whipping behind her as the breeze picked up. The picture of formidability breaks a little when she sighs.

"I _do_ care about her, Zuko," she says quietly, her gaze burning. "That thing with Azula was complicated, and I warned her over and over that she was biting off more than she can chew, but she never listened. It was just better to think that she got what was coming for her instead of thinking it was my fault for not being convincing enough."

She sighs again, and her amber eyes flick up at him. "And I care about _you._ I wanted to be there for you after you and Ozai fought, but you didn't even give me a chance. You just _left_. And even if I agreed with you, Zuko, I can't afford to leave the company. I've worked so hard for this, and my family depends on it. You know that. I couldn't just up and leave when things get tough."

Zuko ignores the thinly-veiled yet well-placed barb.

"You remember Lu Ten?"

Mai's brows furrow a fraction. "Your cousin? Yes, I remember him."

"If I stayed, Mai, I would have ended up like him. Or I would have ended up like Ozai. Either way, I couldn't let that happen. It almost happened to Azula." He heaves a great sigh and looks her square in the eye. "You're a strong woman, Mai. You can withstand whatever the company might throw at you. But it's also just a job for you— a career path _you_ chose. It was forced on me my whole life, and I didn't even realize I didn't want it until last year. I still don't know what I want to do, Mai. But I can't live like that anymore. I can't tolerate what my father is doing to the people in the company for the sake of progress."

"Good for you, then." Zuko doesn't know if she is being sarcastic or not, but she doesn't give him a chance to figure her out. He supposes he deserves it. "I have to go. Tom Tom's waiting in the car. He's probably wondering where I am."

"Oh, okay, uh— say hi to him for me."

Mai rolls her eyes. "Sure, I'll do just that."

Zuko's mouth quirks into a small smile. _Yep,_ that _was definitely sarcasm._

She returns his smile with a tiny one of her own.

"This has been… informative," she says, brushing past him as she heads to the direction of the parking lot. Zuko catches her shoulder before she could walk too far away.

"I wish you all the best, Mai. Really. I'm so sorry things didn't work out."

"I'm not." She looks at him over her shoulder with an unreadable look. "Good bye, Zuko."

She tugs herself from his grip and walks away without turning back.

* * *

"How did it go?"

Katara and Kiyi are waiting for him on one of the benches that surround the quad. Both look at him curiously as he approaches, and Zuko is relieved that the previous amusement on Katara's face has been replaced with concern.

He shrugs in response to her question, because honestly, he doesn't know if it went well or not. His mind is still reeling from the encounter— second-guessing if he did the right thing, questioning his decisions and the direction his life has taken, wondering if it was really better this way even though leaving the company couldn't have changed his father—

Something in his expression must have broken, because Katara surprises him by tackling him into a hug. He freezes at the contact, unsure of where to place his hands. He settles on patting her hair awkwardly as he often did whenever Kiyi hugs him.

"I'm sorry I laughed at you earlier," she says into his shirt. "I know how hard it is to meet an ex unexpectedly right after you've broken up."

"Thanks, Katara," his breath ruffles some strands of her curly hair. She squeezes him tighter and he finds himself closing his eyes and relaxing into her warm embrace. He sighs and leans his cheek on her hair, curling his arms around her waist.

Any other day, he would've teased her for the way _she_ handled her unexpected meeting with her ex, considering how she avoided Aang like the plague at Suki and Sokka's party. But after airing out all the dirty laundry with Mai, Zuko understands why she chose to avoid the bald dude instead of talking.

Plus, he certainly isn't complaining about how she feels in his arms. She is the warm, soft, comforting presence that he didn't know he needed after his talk with Mai. Zuko sighs again and holds her tighter. Even though he would never admit it out loud, Zuko really needed this kind of unspoken understanding after being bombarded with painful memories of his father and his sister.

There is a cough behind them and Zuko's eyes snaps open to see Kiyi smiling impishly at them.

 _Speaking of sisters…_

"Not to break this adorable moment, you guys, but I'm _starving!"_

Zuko extricates himself from Katara's arms— she seems as reluctant as he is to break the hug— and reaches over to ruffle Kiyi's hair.

"Sorry, Kiyi. C'mon. Let's go get some lunch at the cafeteria."

* * *

 **A/N:** Alriiiiight! Finally, some PLOT! The much-awaited backstory is finally coming to light! And it's just about to get more loaded from here, folks! Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I am hard at work on the next one, so hopefully it'll come sooner than expected!


	19. Open Book

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 **A/N:** A bit of a warning, this chapter deals with heavier stuff than what's usual for this fic. We're about to go into Zuko's complicated family, so it's bound to get a bit fucked up. It's not exactly graphic or too emotionally explorative— I didn't write it in a way that would trigger me, but still, the trigger warning stands because you never know what would push a person towards the deep end. If you have experienced or are currently experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, please seek professional help as soon as you can.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 19: Open Book**

The house is empty when they arrive from Roku's Academy in the late afternoon.

"Did your brother text you where they went?" asks Zuko, rummaging through the fridge for a drink. Walking around campus in the dry island weather has left him parched.

Katara checks her phone with a furrow in her brow.

"Yes… no. He just said, 'Sis, Toph and I are gonna check out the sights. Or at least I will. LOL, get it? Anyways, good luck on the interview at the snooty place, don't yell at the dean and don't kill Zuko.'"

Zuko huffs, cracking open a bottle of water. "Glad to know he's concerned for my safety."

"So we all agree I _can_ kill you, then?" Katara jokes dryly, leaning against the counter beside him.

Zuko snorts. "Sure, but not today. I think I've reached my daily limit on dealing with girls who can kill me."

His awkward joke falls flat and Katara's teasing look is replaced with concern.

"You know, if you wanna talk about what happened with Mai…" she shrugs, tugging on a lock of stray hair that crept over her shoulder. "I'm here."

Zuko sighs, shaking his head and averting his gaze. "What's there to talk about?"

"Look, I'm not going to pretend I know you that well," Katara steps hesitantly into his line of vision, "but you seemed pretty shaken up when you saw her, and you were quieter than normal afterwards, like you were thinking really hard about something." She holds up her palms appeasingly. "Maybe talking about it _would_ help."

He frowns at his shoes before meeting her eyes resolutely. Soft blue meets hard gold and Zuko decides this is a conversation he wants to have, but…

"I don't know where to start."

"That's fine, Zuko," Katara takes his hand and sits him down at the table before settling down beside him. "Um. How long were you and Mai together?"

"Four years, give or take a few months," Zuko replies tersely, his hand curling into a fist under hers. "We worked in the family business together— she was in Legal with my sister."

She hums thoughtfully, smoothing her thumb over his knuckles. It takes her a few moments of speculative silence before she ventures another question.

"Before, you said you broke up with her because she wanted you to become someone you're not. Did… did that have something to do with you disagreeing with your dad?"

"I can't believe you remember that," Zuko says, impressed. "I thought you were drunk on game night."

"I _was,_ but I wasn't as _wrecked_ as Toph or Sokka," Katara rolls her eyes at him. "Anyway, was that what happened? Did she side with your dad?"

"Kind of," he runs a hand through his hair, "It's complicated."

"How so?"

"My sister was involved." His mouth curls into a bitter smile. "I guess my relationship with Mai just got caught in the middle of it all, but she was Azula's best friend, and the way she acted…"

Zuko shakes his head.

"Try to understand, my sister and I were brought up in a competitive environment. It was sort of expected that we'd all work for the company, but there was always some rivalry between my immediate family and Uncle's."

"Your uncle? Iroh was part of this?"

Zuko nods.

"He's my father's older brother. Before, Uncle was… just like him. He used to be the company chairman, and he was… strict, to say the least. He worked people to the bone, and he didn't tolerate the slightest bit of imperfection. But then Lu Ten…"

He gulps, and Katara tightens her hold on him. "Who's Lu Ten?"

"My cousin; Uncle Iroh's son. He was Chief of Operations when I was starting out at the company, and I worked under him. I… I don't think he wanted to. Work there, I mean. He was always applying for vacation leaves but they never pushed through, and he always complained that he didn't have a life outside the office anymore, but Uncle— Uncle pushed and pushed, and he didn't listen to his own son and even Father said Lu Ten was just looking for an excuse to slack off, but then—" a shadow passes over his face— "but then, well, Lu Ten died. Heart attack from stress and overwork. He was just a couple of years older than I am now."

"Oh, Zuko," Katara throws her arms around his middle. "I'm so sorry."

He doesn't even try to disentangle himself from her, too caught up in the wave of memories. Now that the can of worms has been opened, he doesn't seem capable of containing it, so he just lets the words flow.

"Uncle resigned after that, too heartbroken to even function— I was the only one who visited him at that time, not even his own _brother_ could be bothered to check on him. I always told Uncle that Father was just busy, that he still cared but just had too much on his plate— see, Father took over after Uncle quit. It was only a few weeks after he became the chairman when he offered me Lu Ten's position.

"After that, I stopped visiting Uncle."

Zuko's mouth curls in apparent self-disgust, and Katara holds him tighter in response.

"I believed my father when he said Uncle's resignation was a sign of weakness, that quitting was the dishonorable thing to do. I believed him when he said it was Lu Ten's fault for not being strong enough. I agreed with him at the time— honestly, back then, I agreed with him on anything, just because I wanted his approval so much. That's why I was surprised that he even offered me the job; that's why I accepted it immediately. He always favored Azula, and to even be considered for the position… It was everything I wanted, but I still felt like I had to prove myself to him even more."

Zuko shrugs half-heartedly.

"I guess Azula felt the same need to prove herself. She wasn't used to being shoved to the sidelines— she was always at the top of her class and graduated early, whereas I wouldn't even have gotten into Roku's without Uncle coaching me. She must've felt cheated— Father never even paid attention to me before, unless it was to point out what a disappointment I was. Even I expected Azula would get a better position in the company than I would. So when she wasn't given the promotion— of course she blamed me and did everything she could to make my life a living hell at the office. I wasn't surprised, since she'd always been like that, but…

"But then Mai and I got together, and even though we didn't plan it and it just _happened,_ it… affected Azula so much that it pushed her from fiercely competitive to just plain… manic."

He closes his eyes and brings his hand up to massage his temples.

"She threw herself into this difficult project— I guess she thought that if she could succeed in something that no one else could do, she'd get Father's attention and undermine me in one move. I tried to convince her not to go through with it, because the project was just too half-baked, but she's _Azula—_ of course she'd think I was just trying to stop her brilliant plan. In the end, it didn't matter what I said or did."

"What happened?" Katara prompts when his silence stretched a little too long.

Zuko buries his face in his hands, the rest of his story coming out muffled.

"The project failed. Spectacularly. It shouldn't have even begun in the first place, but Azula managed to convince Father that the expansion was good for the company even though it was a clear failure from the get-go. And Father just _allowed_ it to happen. And when I objected and suggested we hold a consultation with the stakeholders first, he didn't even intervene. It was as if he _enjoyed_ pitting us against each other— like it was some test to see who would be better as the future head of the company."

His hands clench into his hair and he continues in a harried tone.

"I tried my best to mitigate the issues that cropped up afterwards— there was a lot of bad press, protests outside the office, shareholders and investors pulling out, the regulatory board conducting an investigation into our operations. It was so hard to keep it all under control— and just when things were starting to calm down... he fired Azula. Just like that. No prior notice, no administrative hearing. He just said she was no longer of use to the company because of how badly she miscalculated."

He closes his eyes, his mind filled with images of his sister's face, blank and betrayed and broken. He had never seen her so vulnerable since they were just children— but Azula was Azula, and she always lies, most of all to herself.

He snaps his eyes open at the memory of her bloody hands and her tear-streaked face.

"It was wrong," he breathes out, unable to stop barreling on. "It was _sick_ and _wrong,_ and when I told Mai how I felt about it, she just told me Azula deserved what she got— how could _anyone_ deserve that? How could someone say that about a person they practically grew up with? It reminded me so much of how my father dismissed Lu Ten's death as a sign of weakness, how he didn't even visit Uncle when he was grieving. Would Mai do that to me, too? Cast me aside once I'm broken and tell everyone else that I deserved it somehow?"

He has the sudden urge to punch something, to _destroy_ something, to just let all feelings take over, because there's that small voice in his head again telling him that he shouldn't have opened up like this, that he's just being dramatic, that no one had asked him to share his _whole life story_ —

But Katara's arms are still tight around him, and somehow, inexplicably, that makes all the difference.

He lets his arms drop heavily on the table, staring straight ahead, beyond the patio and into the sea. He inhales deeply, unsure of how to continue.

Katara picks up on his hesitation.

"Where's your sister now?"

Zuko takes a steadying breath and lets it out slowly.

"She's… she's in a psychiatric ward. I... haven't visited her much since I left home, but I just take comfort in the fact that she's in a place where she can't hurt herself and she doesn't have to see Father."

 _Even though she still sees Mom everywhere._

He feels Katara nod against his shoulder and he internally flinches. Despite every ounce of compassion she's shown, he can't help but wonder if he'd said too much. She just asked about Mai— did she really want to know about how truly fucked up his family was? Had he rambled on too much and ruined things? Was she bored from his stories? He hadn't meant to talk so much about Azula—

"I'd love to meet her."

Zuko actually jerks out of her grasp in surprise.

" _What?"_

"Sorry!" Her eyes are wide, scared. _Why is she scared?_ "I'm sorry. I don't mean to overstep, I know I tend to meddle sometimes; Toph gives me hell for it, but— you really seem to care about your sister, even though your relationship was complicated— and— and, well, it couldn't be easy being around someone from your past, so if you ever need support when you visit her— um, all I'm saying is—" She groans into her hand, blushing to the roots of her hair, "Zuko, you shouldn't go through that alone. No one should."

Zuko blinks at her for a few moments as she fidgets, not really meeting his gaze.

Finally, he speaks. "You really think that?"

She meets his eyes with a slight furrow in her brow, her eyes soft, so soft that it sends flutters down his stomach.

"Of course, Zuko. It's what friends do, you know." She smiles at him gently, and the flutters in his stomach intensify as he feels heat spreading across his cheeks.

 _Is it possible to feel so vulnerable and so brave at the same time?_

Katara slowly reaches up and places a warm hand on the scarred side of his face.

"I'm sorry your family had to go through all that," she murmurs, her fingers shaking a little against his scarred skin. "And I'm glad you left, even though it must've been so hard. If… if you don't mind me asking…"

Zuko releases the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He closes his eyes and places a hand over hers, leaning into her touch.

"I told you my father doesn't like it when people went against him. So when I confronted him about Azula…" He closes his eyes and squeezes her hand. "He took it as a sign of utmost disrespect. If I was weak enough to defend someone who was clearly not fit to be in the company, then I might as well join them. Apparently, it also meant I wasn't fit to be part of the family, either."

Katara gasps, her other hand reaching up as well to frame his face. "Zuko— he _disowned_ you?"

He just nods and closes his eyes, not wanting to elaborate any further on the topic with the bile rising in his throat, but he continues doggedly, "He's always been abusive. It's why Mom left. He always took out his anger on us— made us feel like everything that went wrong in his life was _our_ fault somehow— so when he… when he… When I confronted him, I expected him to lash out. I thought I was prepared, I thought I could handle him, but…"

"Zuko," Katara's hands tighten around his face. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He locks eyes with her resolutely. There's that feeling again— like he's split his soul wide open and he couldn't stop until he's dug through every crevice.

"No— no, I want to," _I have to. I have to, otherwise it would eat me up inside and I'd become as rotten and hollow as him._ "He— he was drunk when I confronted him— doesn't excuse what he did, but everything's a blur— he called me ungrateful and told me if he had his way I never would've been born— I told him what he did to his own daughter, what he did to all of us, wasn't strength, it was just plain cruelty— but he just laughed in my face and asked me if I have ever seen true cruelty before."

He's shaking. He's shaking and the smell of burning hair and the feeling of blister-riddled skin makes him want to vomit.

"I should have fought him— I _could_ have fought him, but I was so afraid I froze— it was like I was a child again and he was beating Mom up in the next room. Except I was in Mom's shoes and I finally understood why she never fought back." A deep, shuddering breath. _Don't throw up._ "Next thing I know he'd pressed my face against the embers in his fireplace— I snapped out of it enough to throw him off me, but—"

"Zuko—"

"It was too late, I was always too late, I couldn't protect anyone, not Mom, not Azula, not even myself— because he always wins, and nothing I did could ever change how he is—"

"Zuko, look at me—"

"He was right, I'm just _weak_ and _useless_ and _nothing_ I do could _ever_ matter—"

"Zuko."

He doesn't know how his face ended up mashed against her shoulder, hands clutching the back of her clothes like a lifeline. Distantly, he feels one of her hands tracing soothing circles over his back, the other cradling the back of his head. His heart has yet to slow down, and every word from her sounds muffled, as though she's talking to him when he's underwater.

"It's okay, it's okay. You're here, I'm with you. He's not here, he won't hurt you now. It's going to be okay, Zuko."

The whole situation feels familiar, the dull sense of panic washing over him, but he doesn't feel like he's drowning this time.

"Breathe. Just breathe, Zuko. It's going to be okay. You're not alone in this."

Part of him wants to tell her he's always been alone in everything he did, that maybe it's better that way, but there's a lump in his throat that makes it hard to speak, so he just holds her tighter before pulling away almost painfully.

She searches his face carefully, her blue, blue eyes filled with so much emotion that the lump in his throat dissolves against his will and a single tear leaks out of his eye.

"Sorry," he mutters, wiping it away almost angrily.

She just smiles at him again with that soft smile.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Zuko."

"But—"

She lightly traces the tear track with her thumb.

"You don't have to apologize for being human."

Zuko blinks at her. What in the world does he say to that?

"How…" he stutters. "I'm sorry. I— I don't—"

"It's no problem." Katara brushes his hair from his eyes, still smiling gently. "I'm really glad you trusted me enough to tell me all of this, Zuko."

"Sorry," he says again. Why can't he stop apologizing? "I don't know why I did, but…"

 _Thank you._

She nods to his unsaid words.

"I hope you know… what you did was the opposite of a weakness," she tells him earnestly. "I can't imagine how traumatizing it must've been for you, but I hope you never think of yourself as useless or that everything you do won't matter. Because it _does._ You stepped up to someone who abused you all your life, you saved your sister from a harmful environment, and you got out of a difficult situation all on your own. You're _not_ weak, Zuko. Don't ever believe anyone who tells you that. Not even yourself. And if you can't see that on your dark days, we'll be here to remind you. Okay? Being part of the group means having people to lean on. I know both you and Toph have a hard time dealing with that, but we're still here for you, alright? You don't have to be alone anymore."

He just nods, words caught in his throat— he doesn't know how to deal with this brand of kindness, this kind of compassion that he doesn't even allow his own uncle to give him.

He still doesn't know how to act now that the torrent of emotions have passed, but then Katara leans in and kisses him lightly on his cheek— _his scarred cheek_ — and his mind just grinds to a stop.

She smiles as she pulls away and stands up. He just stares at her, dumbfounded, the ghost of her lips still tingling on his skin.

"I'm gonna go freshen up,"she tells him, unmindful of his muddled thoughts as she smooths down his hair. "Just tell me when you're ready to go meet Toph and Sokka, okay?"

He nods dumbly, his throat dry.

He resists the irrational urge to hold onto her hand and ask her to stay.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS! This was _so_ effin' hard to write; this was the chapter that almost made me not continue this fic at all. Fun fact, I didn't originally plan on Zuko telling Katara about his scar, but our boy just kept talking and who was I to stop him? It made the chapter so much darker than I originally intended, but hey, it's done! I swear, I'll double the fluff in the next chapters, because whew, even I need a break from the angst. I do hope this wasn't unnecessarily heavy, and I apologize to anyone I inadvertently triggered. Please, please seek help— professional or through any safe space— if you feel the onslaught of suicidal symptoms, whether or not you've read this fic or not.

Anyway, do you guys like how their relationship is progressing? Tell me what you think, please!


	20. Open Eyes

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 20: Open Eyes**

His phone rings just after Katara leaves to freshen up. Zuko glares at the screen as it lights up with an unknown number— he normally wouldn't take it, but what if it's an emergency? What if something happened to his uncle? Zuko picks up hesitantly.

 _"Heeeey, Scarface! You gotta join us at this seaside bar, man, this place is_ hopping! _Oh, no, ma'am, she's not a minor— go give her your ID, Toph—"_

"Sokka?" Zuko says in disbelief. "What the hell is happening back there?"

 _"Dude, Toph and I found this place on the baywalk— oops, sorry, I forgot— that's your gym membership card, Toph, here, lemme—"_

"You're not making sense," he grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Why do these people always feel the need to call him instead of just texting like a normal person? He doesn't have the energy for this.

 _"Oh, right! You and Katara meet us up here, it's beside this awesome antique shop and this surfboard rental place—"_

"Why didn't you just call Katara?" Zuko almost whines.

 _"'Cause she's not picking up! I've been trying to reach her for like an hour. For a sec there I really thought she'd killed you and had to outrun the cops or something—"_

Katara emerges from her room, having changed out of her semi-formal clothes, and Zuko all but shoves his phone in her hands, Sokka's voice still filtering through the speakers.

She looks at him with her eyebrows raised and taps the button for speakerphone.

"Sokka?"

 _"Sis! Hey, great to hear from ya. Finally! Did you throw a fit and broke your phone or something? Anyway, Toph and I found this awesome seaside bar, you gotta meet us here, alright? Someone said they had_ the best _Ember Island Sunrise here—"_

"Sokka, slow down—"

 _"Oh damn, Toph's challenging this huge dude to an arm-wrestling match— I gotta go! See ya!"_

The rambling stops and Katara stares at the phone in disbelief.

"What?" she asks dumbfoundedly.

"I guess we have to 'meet them there,'" Zuko repeats dryly. "He mentioned something about the bar being near an antiques shop and a surfboard rental place."

"Do you have any idea where that is?" Katara says bemusedly, waving his phone around. Zuko shrugs.

"This is a beach town. There are tons of surfboard rental places. But I only know one antiques shop on this side of town, so that could be it."

Katara looks over at him thoughtfully and her gaze softens.

"Do you feel like going?"

Zuko stiffens, suddenly reminded of how awfully pathetic and vulnerable he'd made himself in front of her, and _dear Agni almighty,_ did he really unload all of his trauma on her? _Why is she still here, why hasn't she run away yet—_

"Zuko?" Katara's voice filters through his thoughts. "We can just stay here, if it's too much for you."

He finds his voice and shakes his head.

"No, I'm okay. Really," he adds at her incredulous look. "I need a drink, anyway."

Katara grins, and he finds himself distracted by the way her eyes sparkle with mischief.

"Same here. It's been a long day, and I think it's about time I treat this trip as a vacation and have fun."

Zuko raises an eyebrow at that.

"I didn't know you knew how to have fun."

Her jaw drops in indignation.

"Hey!" she plants one of her hands on her hip and points his phone at him. "I _do too_ know how to have fun! I had fun at that benefit concert that Haru took me to, and I have fun sparring with Ty Lee and Suki at the gym and going to the spa with Toph— and I had fun at the Pride March, so there!"

Then she sticks out her tongue at him like a petulant little kid, and Zuko suddenly wants to burst into laughter and pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless—

 _Wait, what? That can't be right._

But she _had_ kissed him earlier.

 _It was just on the cheek,_ Zuko thinks. _It doesn't mean anything._

"Something wrong?" she asks, loosening her defensive stance in favor of her earlier, softer one, and he feels heat rise up to his cheeks.

"No, uh," he scrambles for an excuse, but was never much of a liar. "I just remembered— something from, uh, earlier."

"Zuko," she murmurs his name like a gentle reprimand. "You don't have to tough it out if you don't have the energy for it, alright?"

"I'm fine," he replies automatically.

She furrows her eyebrows and steps closer to him, raising a hand to rest on his scarred cheek.

"I know you're not. And it's okay if you're not. I understand. I'll stay with you until you're okay again, if you want me to."

He fights the instinct to lean into her hand and graze his lips against the delicate skin of her wrist.

She smiles at him again with that soft smile that feels like sunlight on his skin, her eyes so wonderfully honest that Zuko had no doubt that if he asked her to stay, she truly would—

"O-okay," he swallows. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Something shifts in her expression, and Zuko cannot pinpoint what it means, but the air is thick with that _something_ and his heart is racing in his chest. She's so close, close enough that if he just dips down a few inches, he would be able to meet her lips—

 _No, stop that. You_ don't _want to kiss her._

But _why_ does it feel so wrong to want to kiss her? She's smart, funny, kind, sweet and caring, and so beautiful and radiant. He'd poured his heart out to her, opened up every wound he had, told her things he'd never told anyone— not Uncle, not Toph, not even himself, really— and she hasn't turned away nor looked at him in disgust. Instead, she'd held him through it all, and her eyes merely reflected the pain he'd gone through, like the ocean reflecting the sunset and transforming it into something new and breathtaking.

Even so… why does it feel so _dishonorable_ to want her lips on his? It's not like she is with Haru anymore, and—

"Oh no!" He staggers backwards, almost cracking his head on the low cupboard behind him.

"Zuko?"

He lets out the breath he didn't know he was holding and runs a hand through his hair in panic.

"I forgot Jin's birthday!"

"Jin?" Katara blinks at him, hand still raised to where his face had been. Then she slaps that same hand to her forehead. "Right! Jin! Your girlfriend!"

"Yes! I have a girlfriend! It's my girlfriend's birthday! And I forgot!"

"Yeah! So— um! You should go kiss her— I mean, greet her! Greet her! Right now!"

"Right! I was just gonna do that!" He stumbles to the beach, face flushed from every possible emotion in the world. He hears Katara's voice from a few paces away and his heart thunders in his ears.

"Zuko! You left your phone!"

"Right! Yeah! My phone!"

Their fingers touch when she tries to hand it to him and they both jump backwards as though electrocuted. She almost tosses it to him in her panic and he scrambles to catch it before it falls to the floor. He waves awkwardly as he walks away, not trusting himself to look at her. He flinches at the ghost of her touch on his scar, at the memory of her blue eyes threatening to drown him.

 _I can't believe that almost happened._

Oh, how he hated it when Toph was right.

* * *

Katara steadies herself on the kitchen counter, still a little bit dazed and a little bit disappointed at what just happened.

"It didn't mean anything," she mutters to herself, her heart pounding in her chest. "You were just caught up in trying to comfort him. It _didn't_ mean _anything."_

She exhales slowly, patting her still-flaming cheeks.

"It's not like you like him _like that,"_ she tells herself firmly. "You _don't._ You've only just started being _actual friends._ He just opened up to you about the worst days of his life. You _cannot_ be attracted to him because of _that._ That's just wrong. Plain _wrong."_

And yet she could still feel the heat of his gaze, the way his eyes lingered on her lips, the feel of his pulse thundering in his jaw, almost in sync with hers.

"Stop it, Katara! That's how Jet got you to date him." She rushes to the sink to splash her face with tap water. It is lukewarm at best, and does little to quell her blush. She covers her face with her hands and groans. "Maybe I _do_ have a type."

Stupid Toph for putting that idea in her head.

"No, Toph is absolutely _wrong._ Aang is _nothing_ like Jet, and I dated Aang longer than him," she mumbles into her hands, her voice muffled.

 _Aang's an orphan who was getting picked on by the big kids when you first met him,_ her brain traitorously whispers.

"Okay, but look at Haru!" she tells herself. "I didn't want to stick around Haru even when his family was going through problems."

 _That's because you weren't attracted to him._

"Well, that just makes me a horrible person, then," she says, dropping her hands from her face. "And I am _not_ attracted to Zuko."

She could almost hear Toph's singsong voice telling her that she's lying, and suddenly she doesn't feel like arguing with herself anymore.

She busies herself with cleaning the kitchen— not that anything has to be cleaned, so she just opened drawers and shelves only to slam them shut; she just needs a distraction from burning amber eyes and soft crooked smiles and that stupid smoldering voice—

She hears a weird, strangled-sounding cough from the patio and she turns to find Zuko there. There's an awkward pause as the two of them look at anything but the other. Finally, Zuko clears his throat again.

"Wanna go grab something to eat?"

Still red in the face, Katara shrugs.

"Sure, why not."

She flinches at how high and breathy her voice seems.

"Great!" His voice is almost at the same pitch as hers. He groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I know a great place. By the beach."

Katara pictures the two of them eating dinner by the sea as the sun sets in the horizon and her breath hitches in her throat. She mentally shakes herself off of the image, but Zuko reads her expression before she could hide it and he coughs in that awkward way again.

"Or, uh—" the tips of his ears redden as he casts his gaze around, as though an alternative would pop out of the shelves. He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. "We could, I dunno—"

"We could eat at the bar!" Katara blurts out. "Sokka and Toph are probably still cheating money out of strangers' hands, so it'll be easier to hide from them— not that we're hiding! 'Cause we've got nothing to hide!"

Zuko nods furiously, too mortified for words. It would have been comical if Katara didn't feel as mortified as he did.

"So! Then! Let's go!" Katara says, punctuating her words with flailing gestures that would make Sokka proud.

"Right, yeah! Let's go!"

Zuko somehow manages to reach the door before she does, and she catches herself before she could stumble into his back— but not before she catches a whiff of him, a refreshing scent that somehow reminds her of cloudy mornings and summer rain showers.

She pushes herself through the gap between him and the doorway, cheeks ablaze yet again, and picks a random direction to walk to, before she realizes she doesn't know where she was supposed to be going. She turns around and almost bumps into Zuko again.

"You have to stop doing that!" she practically shrieks, and he stumbles away from her.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Well, just— just go and lead the way, because I don't know where we're going!"

"I was just about to do that!"

"Then why are we standing around here shouting?"

"I don't know! You started it!"

"Well, this is me finishing it!"

"Okay, good!"

"Good!"

The rest of their walk— which couldn't have been more than ten minutes, but to Katara it felt like ten days— is made in silence.

"Maybe this will get better with an Ember Island Sunrise," she mutters to herself as they reach the entrance of the bar, and Zuko huffs in agreement in front of her.

She doesn't even pretend to be bothered that she spoke out loud.

* * *

 **A/N:** Can you spell unresolved sexual tension because I hope this chapter has it written all over it lol tell me what you think of this!


	21. Open Bar

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 21: Open Bar**

"Hi, my name is Joo Dee, and I'll be your server for tonight." The receptionist smiles at them with a too-huge smile that makes Katara more uncomfortable than she already is. "Can I get you two started with some drinks?"

"Uh, yeah, whiskey on the rocks for me, and an Ember Island Sunrise for her," Zuko responds almost immediately. Joo Dee nods and leaves with another big smile, and Katara raises an eyebrow at Zuko.

"You know, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you ordering for me like that," she says jokingly, trying to diffuse the tension that came with confusing feelings and sharing a tiny table in a fancy, candlelit restaurant at sunset.

Zuko sputters on his lemon water.

"Sorry! It's just— I heard you say— you said you wanted—"

"Relax, I'm just teasing," Katara says half-heartedly, fiddling with her napkin. She clears her throat and glances around. "This place is fancier than what I expected."

"I know," agrees Zuko, looking equally uncomfortable. "Are we sure we're in the right place? I haven't seen Sokka or Toph around."

"They're probably out there," Katara points behind him, where most of the other patrons are enjoying the ocean breeze on the cozy outdoor lounge area on the beach. Zuko looks over his shoulder and nods.

"Yeah," he rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, "Yeah, that makes sense. It's a bit… stuffy in here, right?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Katara laughs a little too breathily, hoping beyond hope that their drinks would arrive soon. She mentally smacks herself. _Just when we're beginning to be actual friends…_

"How's Jin, by the way?" she blurts out. _Friends can ask about their friends' girlfriends, right?_ "Did she get mad that we dragged you here?"

"Uh, no, not really," Zuko winces. "I don't know what Uncle said to her, but she wasn't mad."

"Oh, well, that's good," replies Katara, not meeting his eyes. Why was it suddenly so hard to look him in the eyes?

 _You know why, Katara, and you better snap out of it, fast._

"So, um, what are you going to get her? For her birthday, I mean," she tries to say casually, but her mind keeps interrupting her with flashbacks of what _could_ have happened if Zuko didn't remember his girlfriend's birthday. She shakes her head with another weird, breathy laugh. "You better get her something nice, you know, since you forgot."

Zuko blushes deep red and Katara wonders if she inadvertently put the same could-have-beens in his head.

"I'll, uh. I'll figure something out," he says, tracing the rim of his glass. "I don't actually, ah, know what she likes, aside from that loud death metal band."

"Which death metal band?" Katara asks sincerely now, remembering liking a local one that headlined the benefit concert that Haru organized.

"The Xirxus, I think," Zuko replies, and Katara brightens in excitement.

"Oh my gosh, I've met them!" she gushes, forgetting her discomfort for a moment. "They played at the concert that Haru and his friends set up, and we had drinks with them afterwards."

"Wow, Jin would have killed for that," he mutters, a slight smirk on his lips. "She entered this contest to win tickets to the show, but she didn't get the VIP ones with the meet and greet. She wouldn't stop talking about it for _weeks."_

"Oh, I get it. June was _so_ cool," she laughs, "Too bad I was so hammered; I barely remember any of it, just that she teased Haru a lot about his mustache."

"It _was_ a weird mustache, to be honest," Zuko says, and Katara nods in agreement.

"I know! I mean, I don't know if you knew this— I met him on a dating app—"

"You tried one of those?" He asks, aghast. "You don't seem like the type."

"Well, I tried being set up on a blind date, but that didn't go so well, didn't it?" she teases, and he coughs uncomfortably. _Maybe not the best joke at this time, Katara._ She bites her lip and shakes her head. "Anyway, Haru didn't have a single hair on his face in his photos, so imagine my surprise when I met him for the first time."

A flicker of annoyance passes over his features suddenly, but before Katara could puzzle it out, it has already vanished, only to be replaced by an expressionless facade.

"You must have really liked him then, if it didn't bother you enough to date him for a few months," he says carefully, and something in his tone and his demeanor makes her hackles rise.

"Of course I did," she retorts, ignoring the warning bells in her head telling her she is getting angry really quickly for no apparent reason. "I'm not some shallow girl who only likes people for their looks, you know."

"Then why—" he stops himself, almost forcefully, snapping his mouth shut and looking away, jaw clenched. Katara doesn't know why the sight bothers her, but it does, and it fuels her anger even more.

"Why what?" she asks hotly, hands curling into fists. "What are you asking, Zuko?"

"It's nothing," he mumbles, still not looking at her. "Forget I said anything."

"Well, it's clearly not nothing, if you're acting all—"

"Here we are!" A voice behind them trills, and they both look up at Joo Dee, who was carrying a tray with their drinks on it. She sets down their glasses on the table, still wearing that uncomfortably huge smile. "You'll be pleased to know that your order has already been paid for by that _lovely_ young woman over there."

"Who—" begins Zuko, but his question is answered as Toph swaggers into the restaurant, bumping into two other patrons as she made her way to their table. Sokka trails after her, apologizing to the customers with a sheepish grimace.

"Hey, lovebirds," greets Toph blithely, feeling around for an empty seat in the next table and grabbing it without asking for permission. "Why're you all cozied up in here instead of partyin' out there with us?"

"We're not 'cozied up' in here," responds Katara, glaring at Zuko from the corner of her eyes— he still wouldn't look at her, and part of her really wants to get to the bottom of the argument they were having before Toph intruded on them, but it seems like a moot point now. She turns back to Toph. "We couldn't find you, so we decided to have dinner first, but this place is packed."

"Yeah, I know, it's amazing!" Sokka exclaims, plunking himself down beside her. "Toph just totally _schooled_ a bunch of huge, rich guys at arm wrestling!"

"I knew it," groans Katara, placing a hand on her forehead tiredly. "I knew you were scamming money out of strangers."

"Hey, not my fault they underestimated a blind girl, Sugar Queen," grins Toph, tucking her hands behind her head. "You're welcome to drink your weight in alcohol, by the way."

"Wouldn't say no to that," mutters Zuko, gulping down half his whiskey and standing up suddenly. "Are we going out to the beach, or what?"

"Alright, that's what I'm talking about!" Toph claps her hands together and shoves him to the outdoor seating area. Katara gapes at their retreating backs before Sokka tugs her up and shoves her Ember Island Sunrise into her hands.

"C'mon, sis, even sulky Sparky's down to party! Let's go!"

Sokka goes ahead and swings open the doors with a flourish, and the blast of music almost sends Katara reeling back, but not before her brother slings an arm around her— he probably knows she wants to leave— and leads her to where Toph was lounging barefoot on a couch with Zuko beside her. The low table in front of them is already littered with empty shot glasses and bottles of Sokka's favorite beer.

They settle down beside the two— Katara is now acutely aware that she is squished between a sullen Zuko and a hyperactive Sokka. Her previous conversation with the former still niggles her, especially when she remembers the events that transpired before they went out to this bar. She blushes and drowns her discomfort in her drink.

"Oh, hey, I never got to ask!" Sokka says over the music, "How did the interview go? You had me pretty worried when you wouldn't answer my calls!"

Katara rolls her eyes at her brother.

"It's not exactly rocket science, Sokka," she replies. "I've been through interviews before. It went okay, I think."

"She did great," says Zuko beside her, and she turns to him in surprise— she certainly did not expect that, not after… well, she just expected him to withdraw back into his shell, honestly. His eyes meet hers for a split-second before he addresses Sokka. "She passed the entrance exam and the dean said her undergrad credentials were top-notch."

"Awesome! I knew you had it in ya, sis," Sokka clinks his bottle with her glass and ruffles her hair. She laughs and tries in vain to move away. "After all, you're related to _me,_ and I'm a genius."

"You're not a genius in anything but food, Snoozles," Toph pipes up from Zuko's other side, and Sokka leans forward to pout at her.

"I invent stuff!" He cries resentfully, jabbing a finger at Toph. _"And_ I got higher grades than you guys ever did back in high school!"

"You _invent_ stuff?" Zuko coughs into his whiskey, and Katara rolls her eyes exasperatedly at her brother.

"Oh, please, the only thing he invented was that football helmet fused with a beer bong," she chuckles, and her brother gasps in indignation. He stands up and gestures wildly with his hands.

"Hey! I also _almost_ made a perpetual motion machine, but I just couldn't get the water balloons to balance right!" He waves his beer bottle in their faces, and his companions try not to laugh. "And, might I remind you, I also made that remote-control food delivery service!"

"Oh, right," Toph says in mock reverence. "How could we forget the greatest invention known to man— a toy helicopter with a basket of food attached to it!"

Katara bursts into giggles and Zuko huffs in amusement beside her. Sokka draws himself up to his full height and scowls at them, his hands on his hips.

"I'll have you know, that invention helped Gran-Gran a _lot_ with carrying groceries, _and_ might I remind you, Katara, that it delivered you breakfast in bed when you had chicken pox!"

"Alright, alright, it was useful," Katara acquiesces, tugging him back down. "Too bad it's not here, then, 'cause it would make getting drinks really easy. The crowd at the bar looks like a war zone."

"Oh, jeez, Sweetness, you really need to go out more often," Toph says, waving her hand exasperatedly. "You're a cute girl in a bar! All the guys in there will buy you drinks if you so much as smile at them."

"Aw, thanks, Toph— wait," she casts the blind girl a deadpan look. "Oh, haha. Very funny. You don't even know what I look like."

"It never gets old!" Toph laughs, slapping her knee. "But seriously, Sparky here said you were cute, and I believe him."

"You said that?" She blushes and whirls on him in surprise, only to see his face almost as red as hers. He tries to inch away from her as much as he could in the limited space they share on the couch.

"I said you'd be cute if you weren't so angry all the time," he mutters begrudgingly. Sokka guffaws on her other side and Toph laughs even harder.

Katara frowns at them, even though she doesn't quite feel as offended as she would normally be. She crosses her arms and sticks her nose in the air haughtily.

"Oh, then I guess we're even, then," she tells him playfully, "'Cause I thought you were cute until you made fun of my job."

"You did?" He sounds so surprised that Katara eases up.

"Of course I did," she responds sincerely. "Why would you think that I didn't?"

Zuko opens his mouth to reply, but Sokka stands up and stretches before he could say anything.

 _"Ohhh-_ kay, I dunno what's going on between you two, but _this_ is getting weird," he declares, pointing suspiciously between his sister and Zuko. "Hey, Toph, wanna go see if that Chit Sang guy's hammered enough to arm wrestle you again?"

"You're no fun!" complains Toph, but Sokka grabs her by the scruff of her shirt and drags her away unceremoniously.

A loaded silence descends on Zuko and Katara as Sokka and Toph's bickering fade into the noise of the bar. Sighing at their antics, Katara reaches over and takes Toph's unfinished drink. Zuko follows suit a moment later with Sokka's beer.

"You called me Scarface a lot back then," Zuko suddenly says, chasing his words with a gulp of beer. "I thought… I thought at first that was why you didn't like me. Because of— because of this."

He gestures to his scar and Katara's heart breaks a little.

"Oh, Zuko, I'm so sorry," she says, tucking her legs underneath her so she could face him properly. She tentatively places a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't know. When I told Sokka about our date, I had already forgotten what your name was, and he just came up with the nickname, and I was so mad about the whole thing at that time that I just went along with it. We weren't making fun of your scar or anything— but, no, that doesn't excuse how we made you feel. I'm sorry."

He shrugs his other shoulder, careful not to remove her hand.

"It's okay. I— I guess my ego just got bruised," a half-hearted, lopsided smile appears on his face. She swallows at the sight, her gaze inadvertently dwelling on his lips before he speaks again. "I didn't understand right away why you thought I was a jerk."

"Well, we're okay now," Katara says, squeezing his shoulder and tilting her head to look him in the eyes. "Right?"

"Yeah," Zuko holds her gaze a second too long. Katara blinks and snatches her hand back from his shoulder. He starts and glances down at Sokka's now-empty beer bottle and nods at her empty glass. "Wanna go get another round?"

"Yes, please," she says, standing up and following him to the crowded outdoor bar. She instinctively holds on to his hand so they don't get separated, and if it bothered him, he didn't show it.

A couple of minutes of shouting over the music and bumping and elbowing strangers, they finally make it back to their table with a fresh round of drinks— only to find that another group has already claimed it.

Katara raises her eyebrows at Zuko, who shrugs. She wordlessly makes her way down to the ocean, Zuko following close behind. She sits down on the sand and stretches her feet before her, carefully balancing her cocktail on the uneven terrain. She motions for Zuko to sit.

"It's so much quieter here," she comments. She feels the sand shift as Zuko makes himself comfortable beside her.

"Yeah," he agrees, taking a sip of his whiskey. "That's not really my scene, back there."

"Same here," admits Katara. "I only ever go to these kinds of places because I wanna hang out with the gang, and back when Aang and I were still together, 'cause he really liked to dance."

"The bald guy likes to party?" Zuko asks incredulously, and Katara flicked his arm with a laugh.

"I told you to stop calling him 'the bald guy!'" she exclaims. "And of _course_ he liked to party; why do you think Toph calls him 'Twinkletoes?'"

"Hey, I barely know anything about your circle of friends," Zuko says defensively. "I only know you spent Sokka's engagement party avoiding him _and_ me."

"Oh, get off your high horse, Mr. I'm Scared of My Knife-Throwing Ex," Katara rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her drink. "I just didn't know how he'd react, okay?"

"Well, I know I said he seemed like a good guy, but really, he was being super cheerful and annoyingly friendly," says Zuko dryly. Katara almost snorts her Ember Island Sunrise.

"Figures _you'd_ be annoyed when someone's being all cheerful and friendly."

"Figures _you'd_ date someone as cheerful and friendly as him," he shoots back, expecting to get a rise out of her, but she merely shrugs.

"Oh, c'mon, I was young and a little bit lonely, okay?" she crosses her arms over her chest and looks to the dark horizon. "I knew he had a crush on me back in high school, but he was just like a younger brother to me. But then I went to college and didn't see him for over a year, and when he got into Northern, it was just… nice to see a familiar face that wasn't my brother, y'know? Still took awhile before we got together, though."

Zuko is silent for a few moments, watching the way the ocean breeze lifts her hair, trying to understand who she was before he met her.

"Why were you lonely?" he finds himself asking. "I mean, your brother was up there in Northern with you."

She shrugs, her smile bittersweet.

"The North Pole made me miss my mom," she answers simply. "I guess it reminded me too much of home."

"Home?"

"Sokka and I, we're from the South Pole," she explains, twisting her hair between her fingers. "We only moved to the Earth Kingdom after… after Mom died."

"Oh," is all Zuko could say.

"Yeah," Katara traces the condensation on her glass absently. "I think all of us wanted a new start— me and Sokka and Dad and Gran-Gran. It was hard at first, but meeting Toph and Aang made the move less lonely. I still miss the cold, though."

"You don't go to the South Pole often?"

She shrugs.

"I used to, when Aang and I were together. There was always something to do there for his non-profit, so they took care of our flights. But I don't really like flying that much and that often. I'd take a boat over a plane, y'know? Besides, Dad's always visiting, Gran-Gran's with her new husband, and Sokka and I practically grew up in the Earth Kingdom. There's not much to miss, aside from the snow, and I got a lot of that back in college."

"Why did you even apply to Northern, anyway?" he asks her curiously. "Everyone knows about their issues with female students. I can't imagine why you'd subject yourself to that."

"I knew I could take them," she says with a triumphant smirk that makes him smile as well. "And, besides, I wanted to learn more about our culture."

"Your culture?"

"Yeah," Katara nods as she swallows most of her cocktail. "Our family's Southern Water Tribe."

"You're Water Tribe?" Zuko freezes as the words leave his mouth, afraid he would offend her. "I'm sorry— when you said you were from the South Pole, I didn't think— I mean, I don't mean anything rude—"

"Why, what were you expecting?" Katara's mouth twists into a teasing smile. "Bones in my hair? Breasts hanging out? Bathes in blood during the full moon? Can't speak the common tongue or have proper education?"

Zuko shakes his head frantically, raising his hands in appeasement. "No— no!"

"Relax, Zuko. Believe me, compared to what I've heard people say about our tribe, you're not being rude," she places a hand on his arm comfortingly before letting it drop in between them. "There's very little Southern Water Tribe left, unlike the Northern one, so our customs are not as pronounced as theirs. I only wear bones in my hair during ritual dances and I only wore the traditional _devit_ and _sad-ey_ when I graduated from Northern. I haven't even gone on an arctic hunt _ever._ " She scrunches up her face and shudders. "Although Gran-Gran _did_ bathe me in seal's blood on the full moon closest to my thirteenth birthday, so not all stereotypes are off."

"That sounds _horrible."_

She giggles at Zuko's horrified expression.

"I know!" she agrees, laughing into her half-empty glass. "And we were already in the Earth Kingdom then! Can you imagine how much I _smelled?_ And the blood was so sticky! Sokka was so lucky his rite of passage was to learn how to sail a boat!"

Zuko only now realizes that he is grinning fully, but he is beyond caring.

"At least tell me something embarrassing happened to Sokka," he says, angling himself to face her, surprised to find that she already mirrored his actions. She giggles into her hand and Zuko finds himself drawn to the flush on her cheeks.

"Oh, he did embarrass himself, alright," she tells him, leaning forward excitedly, "See, in the South, we usually do ice dodging during festivals. It's a whole thing where the community watches— but since we moved, we clearly couldn't hold a festival with just our family. So on Sokka's thirteenth birthday, instead of the surprise party he was expecting, Dad invited all the boys from his class to watch him sail for the first time."

She pauses to take a sip, her eyes sparkling in the dusk. Zuko realizes he doesn't know much about her, even after he'd opened up to her about his life— he promises himself that he would even out the difference because she is his _friend,_ and _not_ because of anything else.

"What happened next?" he prompts, and he tries to ignore how Katara's giggle makes his heart jump.

"He nearly crashed the boat three times, fell into the water twice, and on top of it all, he was wearing his traditional _kuval,_ which weighed him down and made him sweat _buckets_ because it was made for the cold," she replies, gesturing animatedly with her hands. "Everyone called him Stinky Sokka afterwards— it was hilarious. At least no one had to watch _me_ bathe in seal's blood."

Zuko's alcohol-riddled brain supplies him with an image of Katara bathing, and inwardly he curses and shakes his head. He clears his throat uncomfortably.

"That _is_ funny," he says, mouth dry, but she seems oblivious to his less-than-honorable thoughts.

"It really was," she laughs, "He kept grumbling about wanting to just stuff his face with cake afterwards, only to find out that Gran-Gran made stewed sea prunes instead. He still stuffed his face with it, though, so I don't know what his problem was. Then again, _no one_ could resist Gran-Gran's stewed sea prunes and seaweed noodles."

"What other rituals do you have?" Zuko asks, if only to distract himself from the lingering mental image of Katara's tan, naked back. He carefully sets down his half-empty glass as though it would explode.

"Hmm," Katara hums, deep in thought. She leans on one elbow, the length of her arm brushing his thigh. Zuko swallows. "I guess there are the ritual dances. I didn't really get to participate that much when I was just a kid, though. I only relearned the chants when I was already studying in Northern; Aang and I participated in them a lot, but he didn't take so well to the animals being butchered."

"Why?" He absently relaxes onto his elbows as well, bringing him much closer to her than he expected; a light breeze picks up, and a lock of her hair gently tickles his face. He takes ahold of it and twirls it around his finger; she makes no move to stop him.

"Aang grew up in an orphanage run by monks," she explains, tracing patterns into the sand near his hip— he forces his mind to catch up to their conversation. "He believes all life is sacred, so he didn't really like that we butchered seals, even if it was to honor our deities for providing us everything we needed for the winter. He kept trying to find alternatives for it, even after I explained to him how crucial it was to our culture."

Zuko frowns at that, his hand stilling. He could clearly see just how important her culture is to her, and for someone to try to change that— it makes anger simmer inside of him.

"That seems incredibly close-minded," he says, even though he has other far ruder things he wants to say. "I hope you told him off for not respecting your culture."

"Just like I told you off for being a sexist jerk?" She arches her eyebrows and smiles up at him from underneath her lashes, and his breath catches in his throat.

"Yeah," he manages to reply.

"See, the thing with me and Aang was— well, our friends used to tell me that I coddled him too much," she breaks eye contact and shrugs half-heartedly, playing with the sand again. "It's part of the reason why we lasted three years; I didn't have the heart to tell him off for the insensitive things he did."

"Really? You?" Zuko says incredulously, tugging on her hair lightly. She scrunches her nose and swats his chest playfully.

"Oh, shut up, I _told_ you Aang was like a younger brother to me before we dated. Some habits were hard to break," she says. Zuko scoffs, and she throws sand at him. He laughs and dodges her easily, catching her wrist in the process.

Katara blinks up at him, realizing that she is close enough to feel the heat emanating from him, their bodies a hair's breadth away from each other. His grip on her hand tightens, and for a few heartbeats he seems unwilling to let go. Katara feels herself moving forward, drawn to the intensity of his eyes—

He audibly swallows then drops her hand, rolling onto his back with an exhale. She cautiously drops back on the sand, as well, curling up on her side facing him, not bothering to scoot away to a respectable distance.

The air fizzles with that electric thing between them again, and Katara blames her empty stomach and the alcohol. She clears her throat and scrambles to remember what they were talking about.

"A-anyway," she begins, and Zuko turns to look at her, his unblemished side facing her, and she is struck just by how— how _beautiful_ he is, and she suddenly wants to find his father and do something violent to the monster to scarred his own son—

 _I am so all over the place right now._

"You talked out loud again," Zuko tells her with a small smile, and she wishes he would stop doing that because it was _so distracting—_

"You were telling me about Aang and you coddling him," he interrupts her, seeing his inner turmoil mirrored in the expressions that flickered over her face. He rolls to his side to face her, actively stopping himself from reaching out across the small space between them.

"Um," she starts again, taking a deep breath, "Aang was— Well, whenever I tried to tell him how I felt when he looked down on our culture… he would just deny he was doing it, because he really believed he was doing the right thing by telling us to change our ways."

"And you were okay with that?"

"Of course I wasn't," she replies with a rueful smile on her face. "But he did let up after a while. That's just how he is, you know? He needs a while to process things that are beyond his control, but when he does, he really puts in the effort. He even helped the Northern Water Tribe shut down this ridiculous project a couple of years back, actually. I don't know what we could have done if Aang hadn't organized people to protect the Northern Spirit Oasis."

A chill runs through Zuko and he sits up, all his other thoughts gone, replaced by fear and trepidation.

"What project was that?" he asks, a little too sharply, and Katara sits up, too, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"This company wanted to build a recreational hub in the Oasis," she explains slowly, warily. Zuko rubs a hand down his face.

"The company— was it—" _I can't believe_ _this— why is this happening?_ he thinks to himself desperately— "Was it First Sozin Development?"

Katara narrows her eyes and hugs her arms close to her body.

"How did you know that?"

"I— it was—" He doesn't know how to explain this. He doesn't know why he feels the need to tell her, even if he is sure it will ruin whatever _this_ thing was between them. "Remember— remember what I said about my sister?"

"Yes." The answer is too curt to give him any comfort.

"That— that was the project," he stammers. "That was what Azula—"

She stands up abruptly, flinging herself away from him. Her glare is heated enough to send him to his feet and back away a couple of paces.

"The Northern Spirit Oasis is a sacred place! Building a recreational hub there would rob the tribe of the most essential part of their culture!"

Katara remembers the protests, the signature campaigns, Aang's speeches, the tribal dances traditionally done on the eve of battle, the undulating songs of the elders as they begged the spirits to cast the evil away.

"I know!" Zuko's voice takes on a pleading tone, but Katara is having none of it. "I mean, I didn't know at the time—"

"Rituals were done there!" She all but screams. "They believe the water has healing properties! And you guys wanted to turn it into a _spa!"_

"I wasn't part of the decision!" Zuko shouts back. "I _told_ you, I tried to stop her—"

"You said—" she swallows, and he feels his heart drop to his stomach at the sight of her tears, "You said you were Chief of Operations then. You could have— you could have _done something!"_

"There wasn't _anything_ I could _do!"_ Frustration is building up in him now. He pinches the bridge of his nose and clenches his jaw. "I _told_ you— the project shouldn't have started in the first place! It was out of the way for our clients, it didn't have much of a market—"

"A _market?"_ Katara sneers. "Oh, so _that's_ the only reason why you didn't approve of it? Because you couldn't find enough _clients_ who want to desecrate ritual grounds and feed your corporate greed? Your company didn't even care enough to do an environmental or cultural impact study— you just _traipsed in_ and expected _us_ to lie down and roll over just because you offered _money_ to those who _lived there their whole lives!"_

"That's not what I'm saying—"

"They may just be our sister tribe, but they've kept their culture intact! Ours faded to memory! And you—" Katara huffs, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "I can't even look at you right now."

She turns on her heel and marches back to the crowded bar. Zuko slumps down forcefully on the beach, grasping a fistful of sand and throwing it angrily.

"How did things get so fucked up?" he mutters to himself, head in his hands.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is one hefty chapter, I know, but it's also one that strikes close to home for me. My father is part of an indigenous people called Ibaloi here in the Philippines, and the issues presented here are a reflection of what happens in real life. The prejudice (people still think we have tails), the clothes (the _devit, sad-ey,_ and _kuval_ aren't really made for cold weather, but Ibalois live in the cooler parts of our tropical country), and, most of all, the corporations trying to sully our culture. We actually had to fight off a big company from building an amusement park on top of sacred grounds with one of the oldest trees in the country; unfortunately, despite all the protests and legal remedies, the big guys paid off the local government and won. I wanted to give the Water Tribe the win we never got, but also, I wanted some drama between Zuko and Katara. Anyway, thanks for reading this long chapter, and as always, tell me what you guys think! Cheers!


	22. Closed Mind

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 22: Closed Mind**

The morning after is a frosty affair.

Everyone is in different stages of packing; they are due at the ferry later in the afternoon, but both Sokka and Toph are nursing hangovers and don't notice the tension between Zuko and Katara until they all converge in the living area to eat lunch.

Sokka, despite all his bellyaching, is actually more than willing to follow Katara's orders to buy food that she could add to their leftovers. Hey, he knows his sister well enough to sense that something is wrong, but he also isn't about to ask her about it or complain about her snappish behavior, especially not when he has this _raging_ headache.

Toph isn't so subtle, though.

She saunters into the living room with a bag of barbecue chips— the salt would have to do until Sweetness cooks up her favorite hangover food— and flops down on the couch. Toph hears her puttering about in the adjoining kitchen, but then she suddenly stops when Sparky walks in.

 _Interesting._

The only sound in the room is Toph munching and the crinkling of the bag.

"Okay, this is weird," she finally says, when it appeared that no one would do _anything_ remotely intriguing. "I'm not alone in the room, right? _Hello?_ Can someone please explain to the blind girl what the _fuck_ is up?"

 _"I'm_ not the one who has to explain themselves," Katara huffs pointedly before stalking away furiously. Zuko winces when he hears her bedroom door slam shut.

"Okay, I guess _you're_ going to explain, then, Sparky," Toph declares, tucking her legs beneath her.

Zuko sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He flings himself down beside her despondently.

"Look, Toph, I don't even know where to start," he mutters, covering his eyes with his arm. "I thought we were— I thought we were becoming— I dunno, friends or _something._ Guess I was wrong."

"Uh huh," Toph munches on a couple more chips before continuing. "What did you do, anyway? I've never heard Sugar Queen give someone the cold shoulder in _ages."_

"That's just it!" Zuko yells in frustration, the sound muffled as he ran his hand down his face. "I don't know what I did! Well, technically, I didn't _do_ anything, it was just some stupid stuff that my stupid family did—"

"Oh, shit, Zuko— did your fucked up dad kill her mom or something?" Toph exclaims, sitting up with a horrified look in her sightless eyes.

"What? No!" Zuko sits up and waves his hands frantically, forgetting that Toph couldn't see. "How could you _say_ that?!"

"Jeez, pipe down, Hotpants," the blind girl says, digging into her ear with her pinky finger. "All I'm sayin' is, that's like, the worst possible scenario. If that ain't it, then she might still talk to you after a couple o' months."

"Months?" gasps Zuko, but Toph cackles and shoves more chips into her mouth.

"Okay, maybe not months," she agrees, licking her fingers with relish, "Maybe a year and a half, maybe less."

Zuko groans into his hands and slumps further into the couch just as Sokka stumbles into the living room with a paper bag full of groceries.

"Hey, guys," he greets them hoarsely, looking worse for wear with the shadows under his eyes. He heaves a huge, jaw-breaking yawn and points to the kitchen with his groceries. "Where's Katara?"

"She went to her bedroom," answers Zuko, motioning down the narrow hallway.

As Sokka trudges to the kitchen to dump his paper bag on the table, Zuko briefly wonders if he needs to tell him about the Northern Spirit Oasis project. He doesn't know how deep Sokka's connection to his culture was, but Zuko still feels like he owes an explanation to the Water Tribes.

He cautiously approaches him, meaning to help with unpacking the groceries, but the moment he does, Sokka drops into a chair with a beleaguered groan.

"Oh, thanks, dude, you're the best," he says, dramatically slumping backwards. "I swear, this headache is gonna _kill_ me."

"You can rehydrate, you know," suggests Zuko, but Sokka just huffs and slinks down further into the chair.

"Too… tired…" he whines. "What's taking Katara so long? I need _meat."_

"Actually, uh, before she— before she gets back here," stammers Zuko, fumbling with a paper-wrapped hunk of meat, "Um, I have something, uh— I have to tell you something."

Sokka sits up slowly, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Is this about Katara?" He asks sharply, pushing himself up and leaning close to Zuko. "Did you to something to her last night?"

"No— no!" Zuko drops the packaged meat on the table and raises his arms appeasingly. "It's not what you think! I mean, something _did_ happen last night, but it wasn't good— I mean—"

Sokka folds his hands over his chest and raises an eyebrow at him. Zuko stumbles out his current situation.

"Look, she's not talking to me right now, okay? And it's because I had to tell her about this whole complicated thing with my family—" he stops himself, aware that he is quickly not making sense anymore. "A-anyway, it was about the Northern Spirit Oasis."

He pauses to see if the words have any effect on Sokka.

His face is stony, expression unusually cold, his scowl frozen into place. His posture is tense, his hands curling and uncurling into fists. Zuko swallows. Yes, it seems Katara's brother is as invested in the Oasis as she is.

"What about it?" Sokka finally asks, his words clipped. Zuko takes a deep breath.

"Well… I, uh, I used to work for the—" he winces at his own words, "Our family owns the company that tried to… um, tear it up and build over it."

"Oh," mutters Sokka, his hands dropping to his sides. "First Sozin Development."

Zuko rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, that's it."

"Did you…" He doesn't seem to know what to say. He sits back down at the kitchen table."Was the— was the project _your_ idea?"

"No! Of course not," Zuko says, settling down across him and grasping at his hair. "It was my sister's, and I swear, I tried to stop it, but my father—"

"Okay, okay, chill, man," Sokka interrupts with a wave of his hands. "Look, I _kinda_ get where Katara's coming from. That whole thing— well, it's a sore spot for both of us. My girlfriend back then, she was the chief's daughter, and she was sick and they needed money for—" he coughs awkwardly, his voice trembling, "Well, they needed money for treatment, since the 'spirit water' wasn't doing its job—"

"Sokka!"

They both turn around to see Katara fuming, her hands on her hips and her face mutinous. She spares one deathly glare at Zuko before forcing herself to smile— which appears more as a grimace— at her brother.

"Could you help me with lunch, _big brother?"_ she asks, a touch too sweetly, and Sokka shrugs and raises his eyebrows at Zuko helplessly. Zuko just sighs and goes back into the living room with Toph.

As soon as he is out of earshot, Katara whirls on Sokka.

"What were you _doing?"_ she hisses. Her brother merely rolls his eyes and clasps her shoulders firmly.

"Look, sis, I was just _explaining_ to Zuko why that Northern Oasis thing was hard for both of us, okay?" He looks her straight in the eyes, his expression solemn. "I don't think it's fair you're freezing him out if he doesn't know what he did wrong."

"He knows _exactly what he did!"_ Katara's voice rises.

"He _just said_ he didn't have anything to do with the project!"

"Why are you defending him?" Katara stomps her foot in anger. "After all the trouble— after _Yue—"_

"Yue would have lived for _three more months_ if Chief Arnook accepted First Sozin's offer, Katara!" Sokka presses his lips together and breathes out harshly before collapsing into a chair. Katara follows him silently, slightly mollified by her brother's reaction. Sokka rubs his forehead tiredly. "Look, all I'm saying is, people do stuff sometimes that don't make sense because of the pressure they're under, okay? It happened with Arnook; maybe that's what happened with Zuko. So just— just keep that in mind before you totally cut him off, alright?"

Katara mulls his words over for a moment. Sokka allows himself to slouch over the table, leaning his throbbing head on the wooden surface.

"No."

Sokka snaps back up and gapes at his sister.

 _"What?"_

"No," says Katara firmly, pulling out vegetables and other pieces of meat from the grocery bag with more force than necessary. _"He_ was almost in charge of the company then, Sokka. _He_ knew what should have been done before setting his sister on us. It wasn't some— some _noble_ cause like choosing between saving a sacred place or trying to keep your daughter alive. _He_ just didn't agree with the project because his _company_ wouldn't profit from it." She slams the last hunk of meat on the table. "So, _no."_

Sokka groans into the table. There was no talking to Katara when she got like this.

"Okay, fine. Just grill me up some meat, will ya?"

Katara looks at him with wide, horrified eyes.

"We can't grill meat here, Sokka, there's no ventilation!"

He groans into the table again. Seems like the universe isn't letting him get his way today.

* * *

"I hate boats. I hate the sea. I hate _everything,"_ Toph moans as she drapes herself over the railings of the ferry. Much like their trip to Ember Island, she's been spending her time puking all over the side of the boat.

"You _knew_ we were taking the ferry out today, but you still drank a lot last night. Whose fault is that?" Katara points out, patting the back of her friend's head gently as she guides the bottle of water into Toph's hands.

"Ugh, I know, you're right," agrees Toph, causing Katara to start and look at her in surprise. Toph shrugs and guzzles down her water. "I'm weak today, Sweetness. Don't tell anyone I agreed with you."

"Deal."

"So, what's up with you and Sparky?" Toph asks blithely, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Katara's lips press into a thin line at the mention of Zuko's nickname.

"I don't want to talk about it," she grinds out.

"Mm hm, okay," Toph slides down to the floor and crosses her legs. "Seems to me, though, that he's the victim in all this."

"Is that what he's been telling you?" Katara starts to pace, turning sharply back and forth, "Because he is _not!_ He was not powerless in that situation— he could have done _something,_ but instead he's blaming it all on his crazy sister! Like _he_ had nothing to do with it! For all we know, he could have been the one to sign the papers greenlighting—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't get your self-righteous sweat on me," Toph interrupts her. "Sokka already told me about the whole deal. But that was, like, _ages_ ago, Katara. Zuko's been through a lot of shit back then. Even if he agreed on the project— which, by the way, he _didn't—_ he's already changed a lot. You didn't even know him back then. Now you just know the dorky, awkward Sparky."

"I don't _care_ how he is now; if he could stand idly by while people close to him did— did such _monstrous_ things, then I can't be around him!"

Toph blinks at her for a few seconds before sighing.

"Oh, Katara, I hope you don't mean that," the blind girl murmurs softly. "Do you even know how he got his scar?"

Katara stops her pacing long enough to cross her arms tightly over her chest and exhale angrily.

"Yes, I do, actually," she replies, then forges on without waiting for Toph's input, "I bet he just told me that so I'd feel _sorry_ for him. And I fell for it! As if he and his dad don't bond over colonialism and culture-ruining projects. He was probably laughing about kicking some— some _peasants_ out of their homeland—"

"And people say _I'm_ the stubborn one," Toph interjects. Katara gasps in indignation.

"I am _not_ being stubborn!" She exclaims. "I am _completely_ justified, he has _no_ excuses—"

"Uh huh, come to me when you finally decide to live in the present, Fussy Britches," Toph waves her away and braces herself against the railings as another wave tosses their ship upwards.

* * *

"Hey, buddy!" Sokka greets Zuko brightly, joining him on the stern of the ship, where he's hidden himself from Katara's chilly silence and icy glares. Zuko just nods silently in acknowledgement before turning back to watch the churned-up water they leave in their wake.

"Look," Sokka says, clasping his shoulder, "I know you and Katara are still kinda…" he emits a strange, strangled, and squeaky sound while making a rocking gesture with his other hand, "But it'll get better, okay?"

"Will it?" counters Zuko sullenly. "What if it just gets worse and worse and she never speaks to me again?"

"She'll thaw out eventually, don't worry," Sokka's voice is far too casual and light to comfort Zuko.

The other boy must have sensed his disbelief because he fidgets and starts rambling.

"Look, Katara's my baby sister," Sokka begins. "Does she make stupid decisions sometimes? Yes. Do I get a say in her choices? Sure, I'm her big brother. I'm here to judge her. Or tease her about it. But do I make her decisions for her? _Hell no._ She's her own person, dude, and I can't really do much when she decides to do something."

Sokka blinks at his own words.

"Wow, _that_ was not where I was expecting _that_ to go," he says, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, dude, seems like I got nothin' for ya."

Zuko groans into his hand.

"It's not like we were close or anything," he mutters morosely. "It's not like _we're_ friends, too, so I don't know why you're trying to cheer me up."

"What do you mean, _we're_ not friends?" Sokka's voice squeaks and he throws his hands up, jaw dropping in indignation. "Of _course_ we are, buddy! I hang out at your place, like, every other week!"

"You only hang out with Toph," Zuko points out, but Sokka wags a finger in his face.

"Nuh-uh, I enjoy our _manly_ time together, too!"

Zuko cringes and runs a hand over his face.

"Ugh, can you _not_ call it that?"

"Aw, why not? I can't exactly call my time with Toph or Aang _manly,"_ Sokka pouts at him, but relents after a moment. "Fine, but I'm only doing it because we're _friends."_

 _"Fine."_

"And, because we're _friends,_ buddy-man," Sokka continues, slinging an arm around his shoulders, unmindful of Zuko's squirming, "I'm gonna try to help you with my sister, okay? Even though it'll be a _pretty_ steep task. 'Cause I want you to have even _more_ friends."

Zuko sighs in resignation.

"Thanks, I guess."

* * *

 **A/N:** This was supposed to go on for quite a bit more, but I've been writing quite a few hefty chapters recently, and I feel like if I dropped all the drama in one chapter (again) it would just be too much and too soon. But I don't know. Do you guys like long chapters like the one before this, or do I keep it relatively short like this one until we reach the end? Tell me what you think!


	23. Closed Doors

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 23: Closed Doors**

"Nephew!" His uncle greets him with a hug the minute he steps into the Jasmine Dragon. "How was your trip?"

"It was… it was okay, Uncle," Zuko replies half-heartedly, and Iroh's bushy brows rise inquiringly. His nephew wriggles uncomfortably under his pointed gaze. "Really, Uncle, it was fine. It was nice to go back to Roku's, at least."

His uncle frowns at his obvious deflection.

"Any other adventures, my boy?" He tries again, already setting out a tea service so he and Zuko could talk more. "Oh, I remember how much you loved the beach when you were a child. You and Lu Ten would build sandcastles—"

"Yeah," agrees Zuko absently while checking his phone. Iroh rolls his eyes at the gadget and deftly sets a cup of tea between his nephew and the phone. Zuko takes the cup and finally turns back to him.

"Did Miss Katara's interview go well?" asks Iroh, and Zuko jumps and hisses as the tea spills into his hands and shirt. Iroh grimaces and rushes over with a rag.

"Oh, I do hate the sight of spilled tea…" he mutters, and he hears Zuko huff in exasperation.

"Uncle, it's just _tea!"_ He whips the rag uncle's hands and sloppily wipes himself up. He stumbles for a moment at the disappointed look that Iroh gives him. "Sorry. It's just— anyway, Katara passed her interview."

"Oh, what good news!" exclaims Iroh. "You must tell her to come in sometime so we could celebrate!"

"No!" screams Zuko. "I-I have a girlfriend!"

"I did not mean it _that_ way, nephew," Iroh says amusedly, and Zuko blushes. He mumbles something about opening the tea shop and stalks away.

"Well, then, I suppose Miss Toph will be kind enough to provide the details for me," Iroh says to himself, sipping his tea placidly over the sound of Zuko slamming things around in the shop.

The door tinkles open just as Zuko flips over the 'Closed' sign. He looks up in surprise to see Jin walk hesitantly through the threshold.

"Jin!" He exclaims. "I didn't know you'd drop by— I mean— uh, hey!"

He rushes forward to kiss her cheek. Jin smiles tightly at him, looking around at the empty tea shop.

"Um, your uncle told me you were coming back today, so…" she sighs and makes her way to her usual seat. "Zuko, I— we need to talk."

"Oh," responds Zuko, dropping into the seat next to her. "Um, if this is about me missing your birthday, I'm really sorry—"

"Oh, no, it's not that," says Jin, before averting her gaze. "Well, maybe it is. I don't know, but…"

Zuko tries to wait patiently, but her hesitation is setting his teeth on edge. Finally, she takes a deep breath and meets his eyes resolutely.

"I think we need to break up."

He blinks at her. Then blinks at her some more.

"I… I thought we were doing well." he says dumbly.

"We are. We're doing _too_ well," Jin explains, and Zuko looks at her as though she has two heads. "We barely fight, Zuko."

"I thought not fighting was a good thing."

"We're _supposed_ to fight. We're supposed to feel a _lot_ of things," she says earnestly, then sighs. "We're supposed to miss the other person when they're not around. You didn't even remember to tell me that you went to Ember Island. I didn't even mind that you weren't at my birthday party." Jin looks down. "That's just not right."

"I—" What on earth was he supposed to say? He reaches over and holds her small hands in his. "I should have yelled at you more."

She grins ruefully. "Wouldn't have fixed what wasn't there."

"Maybe," he begins, "Maybe we could still work it out."

 _Do you even want to?_ the voice in his head says, unbidden. His mind flashes back to the beach, to Katara's sparkling eyes, to the way her laughter warmed him more than the rising sun ever did—

 _No._

Jin shakes her head. "I… we've run our course, Zuko. This is for the best."

Zuko swallows. _Yes, maybe it is for the best._

"I'm sorry it had to end like this," he murmurs sincerely, squeezing her hand. "I should've been a better boyfriend."

"You were great, Zuko," she assures him. She smiles slyly at him from beneath her lashes. "And we had fun, didn't we?"

One corner of his mouth lifts higher than the other.

"Yeah," he agrees. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun, Jin."

"I hope it wouldn't be awkward when I drop by here," she says hopefully. Zuko manages a small smile and a shrug.

"Of course not," he assures her. "You're still our best customer."

Jin stifles a giggle.

"You're just saying that," she bites her lip uncertainly and stands up. "Well… I better get going. Tell your uncle hi for me, okay?"

"Sure."

Zuko watches as she leaves, feeling oddly detached from the situation. He barely startles when Iroh sidles up to him with a tray full of Jin's usual order.

"Oh dear, I didn't realize Miss Jin already left," he says, mournfully looking at the tea cakes fresh from the oven. "Did something come up, nephew?"

"She broke up with me," Zuko replies dully, still staring at the door.

"Zuko," murmurs Iroh, setting down his tray and engulfing his nephew in another hug. Zuko barely moves. "Well, you know what they say, my son. Looking back while trying to move forward can give you a sore neck."

Zuko hums in absent-minded agreement. Iroh's grimaces. Maybe a light-handed proverb isn't what his nephew needs right now.

"Or, as another saying goes," Iroh continues, "When one door closes, another one opens."

Zuko snaps out of his stupor and snorts.

"Uncle, I think every door is jammed shut for me now."

"Nonsense!" Iroh steers him to a table and forces the plate of cakes into his hands. Zuko frowns at them. "You are a bright, wonderful, _healthy_ young man with so much to offer! Any woman would be _lucky_ to have you!"

Zuko cringes.

"I treated Jin horribly, Uncle," he admits. "I forgot to tell her I was going on a trip, I forgot her _birthday,_ and when we were in Ember Island, I— I— well, it doesn't matter now, anyway."

The door opens and a group of regulars walk in before Iroh could pry. Zuko stands up morosely and takes the group's orders, and his uncle could only sigh sadly.

* * *

"Suki, this is _gorgeous!"_ Katara squeals, twirling around and letting the red wrap skirt billow around her shins. Suki grins from the edge of her and Sokka's bed.

"I'm so glad you like it!" She unfolds the other clothes she had unearthed from her suitcase. "When I heard you got into Roku's, I _knew_ had to get you something with _major_ beach vibes!"

"I'm not gonna wear this to class, though," laughs Katara, smoothing down the light fabric and kneeling on the floor to help her future sister-in-law unpack.

"Oh, of course," agrees Suki with a casual wave of her hand. "I just figured you needed it for all the fun you'd be having on the beach."

Katara's expression darkens at the last memory of her having fun at the beach. She and Zuko had been getting along so well, and she really thought he was so interested in her, in her past and in her culture, but then the _jerk_ just—

She shakes her head and huffs angrily.

"Something wrong?" asks Suki, stopping her unpacking. Katara swallows against the lump in her throat.

"Oh, it's nothing," she lies smoothly, "I'm just a little nervous about going to class soon."

"Well, it _is_ a big change, Katara," Suki studies her face closely. "Are you sure you can balance a full-time job at the preschool and going to class on weekends?"

Katara sits back on her heels and sighs.

"I have to," she tells Suki, playing with her mother's necklace anxiously. "I risk losing my job if I don't have an Education diploma, and the program at Roku's requires me to have practical experience, so I can't quit even if I wanted to. Principal Yugoda has been very kind, though. She offered me one extra day off so I don't get too overwhelmed— but I still don't feel too comfortable about that, especially since it means extra work for my co-teachers."

"Oh, honey," Suki sinks down to the floor beside her and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "You really have to stop worrying so much about others and start prioritizing your own growth."

"I know," she breathes out heavily and rests her head on Suki's shoulder. "It all just feels too much, you know? I feel like once I start studying again, I'll barely relax for the next two or three years."

"Well, how 'bout a grand old relaxation time before you go, then?" Suki suggests brightly. "We can go to that spa that you and Toph talk about all the time, then after that, we can drop by that tea shop you love— nothing's more relaxing than tea!"

"Oh— um, I'd rather not," Katara tries to deflect, but Suki is already reaching for her phone. "Suki, I don't want to bother anyone, and besides, you just got back! Shouldn't you be, I dunno, getting it on with Sokka or something?"

Suki looks at her, horrified.

"Katara, I love you, but I'm _really_ not comfortable with you telling me to 'get it on' with your brother. Who even says that anymore?" She scrolls through her contacts and rolls her eyes. "Besides, this is my last day of relaxation, too, y'know, before Captain Piandao decides to give me all the open cases that Chan and Ruon Jian can't solve."

"Okay, well, I don't want to go to the tea shop," says Katara desperately. "It's just too hot out to drink some tea! Why don't we go to the gym instead—"

"You wanna relax by going to the gym?" Suki asks her in disbelief. "Oh, hell. I'm gone for a week and you turn into Toph! Nope, we're going to the spa _and_ the tea shop. You need to detox, dear."

Katara sighs and slumps back against the bed as Suki dials Ty Lee and Toph. She knows she could just tell Suki about what happened on the beach with Zuko, but she just couldn't take the idea of yet another person trying to convince her she is being unreasonable— because, no matter what anyone says, she _is_ totally justified in wanting _nothing_ to do with him anymore.

* * *

Whatever relaxed feeling she had back in the spa vanishes when they start walking to the Jasmine Dragon.

Ty Lee and Suki are talking animatedly ahead of them, regaling her and Toph of their adventures during their conference in the northern Earth Kingdom. Katara is barely listening— Iroh's tea shop is just up ahead, and she is still trying to make up some excuse not to visit, but she's coming up short.

"...so bummed I couldn't join you guys, but I knew Katara would get into Roku's anyway, so we could visit anytime," Suki says, finally drawing Katara back into the conversation. She whips her head up at the mention of her name.

"Oh, please, Sugar Queen wouldn't have lasted one second in the interviews if we hadn't dragged Sparky along," Toph snorts, and Katara frowns at her friend.

"Gee, thanks, Toph," she comments sarcastically, "It's so nice to have so much love and support from you— it's almost smothering me to death, y'know?"

Toph slugs her arm and grins widely.

"It's your job to smother people, Smother Mother," she slings back as Katara rubs the sore spot she left on her arm. Ty Lee laughs and laces her hands with her girlfriend's, leading them all into the Jasmine Dragon.

Katara makes a beeline for Toph's usual corner, trying her hardest not to seem like she is avoiding anyone— it apparently did not work, based on Suki's raised eyebrow.

"What's gotten into you?" Her future sister-in-law asks, but before she could make up an excuse, a shadow falls over their table and Katara finds herself looking up at Zuko's surprised face.

She clenches her jaw and turns away.

"Oh, hey, is that Sparky?" Toph guesses, and Katara catches the devious grin on her face. She scowls at her friend— not that Toph could see it— while Ty Lee and Suki greet Zuko cheerfully and place their orders.

The minute Zuko is out of earshot, Ty Lee leans forward and whispers, "Oh my gosh, I forgot how cute Zuko is."

Katara whirls on her with her jaw slack in surprise, but Suki agrees before she could speak.

"I know! I remember you pointing him out to me on my _engagement_ party," she laughs and nudges Katara. "I couldn't believe he was that sexist jerk you told us about. But seems like you guys put all that behind you, huh?"

"No, we haven't!" Katara exclaims a little too loudly. Suki and Ty Lee draw back in surprise.

"But I thought you guys met his sister and he showed you around Roku's?" Suki asks incredulously.

"Yeah, and they spent most of that night cooped up on the beach instead of drinking with me and Snoozles," Toph adds blithely, and Katara shushes her frantically.

"Oooh, what happened on the beach?" Ty Lee piles on excitedly.

"Nothing! Nothing happened!" Katara denies. "I just found out he's still the same jerk that I thought he was, that's all!"

"Oh no, honey, what did he do?" Suki asks in concern, and Toph snickers and gets comfortable on the couch.

"Yeah, what did Spice King do, Sugar Queen?"

Katara scrunches up her face and crosses her arms.

"He's contributing to capitalism— and— and destruction of cultural heritage and— and corporate greed!" She replies hotly, and Suki raises her eyebrow at her.

"He works for _his uncle's tea shop,_ Katara," she reminds her slowly, but Katara shakes her head adamantly.

"I meant, before! Before we met him!"

"I don't see why that has to be a problem _now,"_ Ty Lee says reproachfully, her eyes wide. "I used to work for a circus that did _such_ bad things to animals, but look at me now— I've gone vegan and I will _never_ wear fur!"

"That's— that's not— that's different!" sputters Katara. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, we don't, 'cause it's silly," pipes up Toph. "See, Fussy? Told you— you're just being stubborn."

"Well—" Katara starts, but she sees Zuko approaching them with a trayful of their teas. She narrows her eyes at him and turns up her nose haughtily, making sure her voice is loud enough for him to hear her next words. "I don't care. He broke my trust, and he's _never_ going to win it back."

The group falls into an awkward silence as Zuko sets down the tray a little too forcefully on the table.

"Here's your tea," he announces coolly. "Uncle extends his greetings and will be right out to see you. Enjoy your visit."

The others murmur their thanks— Toph slaps his shoulder playfully, making him stumble— but Katara refuses to even look at him, instead concentrating on pouring honey into her oolong.

"Ladies! It's been _far_ too long since I've seen your lovely faces!" Iroh greets them, catching Zuko on his way back to the counter and tucking his reluctant nephew to his side. He basically frogmarches Zuko back to their table and pulls up two extra seats, smiling charmingly at Suki as he sits Zuko down in one of the chairs.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you before, Miss…?"

"Suki," she responds, shaking Iroh's hand. "I'm Katara's brother's fiancée."

"Ah, all the good ones are taken, huh, my boy?" Iroh claps Zuko's shoulder, and his nephew groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. Iroh shakes him genially and gestures to Katara. "Well, not all the good ones! Miss Katara, my nephew tells me you did _wonderfully_ on your interview!"

Katara chokes on her tea and just barely manages not to spit some of it out.

"Oh, um, yes, I did, Iroh," she coughs as she reaches for a napkin. Iroh smiles widely at her.

"Roku's Academy is a _fine_ institution!" He exclaims, oblivious to her discomfort. "I hope Zuko showed you around the campus?"

Katara tries her hardest not to grimace.

"Uh, yes, he did. Kiyi insisted we go to all the buildings," she replies, and Iroh beams proudly.

"My, my, I see you've already met the family," he replies with a grin as devious as Toph's. Zuko huffs, pushing himself off his uncle and standing up.

"Uncle, this is stupid. I'm going to go help the other customers," he says firmly, tucking his empty tray under his arm and stalking away before Iroh could reply.

His uncle sighs mournfully as he watches his retreating back.

"You'll have to forgive his rudeness," he says to the girls, and Katara has to bite her tongue to stop herself from snapping something about not forgiving Zuko for anything. Iroh whispers conspiratorially, "I'm afraid my nephew's still nursing a broken heart."

Katara jumps at that— _he broke up with Jin?—_ but she instantly shoves the thought away. She doesn't miss the pointed, sidelong look that Suki gives her, though. Katara shakes her head minutely at her— _no, I don't care how much pain he's going through. I'm_ never _forgiving him!_

"Aww, I thought things were okay with his girlfriend? Right, Toph?" Ty Lee asks. When Toph just shrugs carelessly— muttering, "We've never even met her, babe," under her breath— her girlfriend turns to Iroh. "What happened to them?"

"Alas, I don't know. Miss Jin just dropped by earlier this morning and Zuko will not tell me the rest of the story," the old man tells them wearily. "I was hoping you girls could get his mind to lighter things."

"Don't cha worry, Gramps, we'll get right on that," Toph says, without a hint of irony in her tone. Iroh claps his hands joyfully.

"Wonderful! The burdens of life are eased by the joys of friendship," he says, standing up and winking at them. "Now, I must entertain my other guests, or else they'd know that I play favorites!"

As he walked away to greet his other customers, Suki bears down on Katara.

"Really, Katara?" She asks in disbelief. "You're not going to let up even when your _friend_ is going through something?"

"He's not my _friend,"_ she replies defensively, yet memories of all the stories they've shared with each other spring to her mind.

 _He wouldn't have told me all of that if we weren't friends,_ a small voice in her mind reproaches her. _So what if he was part of First Sozin? He also_ left _First Sozin._

 _But he betrayed my trust,_ she reminds herself vehemently. _I opened up to him about the most important parts of my life— everything was going so well between us— then he just_ had _to tell me about that_ stupid _project and his_ clients _and his_ sister—

"Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?" She says— whether to herself or to her friends, she doesn't know. "Can we please just drop it?"

Toph huffs and throws her hands up. Ty Lee and Suki exchange doubtful looks before nodding reluctantly and drinking their tea.

* * *

"Hey, Hotstuff, wanna go grab a drink?" Toph asks Zuko the minute he walks into their apartment.

This has become a habit of hers for the past two weeks— asking him to hang out with her, like boxing at the gym, taking hikes, going for drinks at every sleazy bar she could think of. At first, he thought it was because she had some ulterior motive (as Toph usually does) but as the days go by, he's beginning to suspect it's because she wants to cheer him up.

The idea is so funny to him, he would've laughed himself sick if he isn't so miserable.

"I'm really tired, Toph—" he starts to say, but his phone vibrates in his pocket. He fishes it out and groans when he sees who it is.

"Buddy! Hey, what's up, how ya doin'?" Sokka's voice cracks on the other line.

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation and goes to his bedroom and closes the door before Toph could convince him and Sokka to go out.

He knows he is new to this kind of friendship, but truth be told, all the attention has been quite grating. He was not used to people trying to cheer him up (especially not Toph) but in addition to that, Sokka has been relentlessly following through with his promise to try and soften Katara's wrath— so relentlessly, in fact, that Zuko is beginning to wonder if Sokka is in dire need of a hobby.

"What is it now, Sokka?" He asks gruffly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "What's your wacky, time-wasting plan now?"

"Man, you really need to lighten up," Sokka jokes, and Zuko rolls his eyes to the ceiling and falls back carelessly on the mattress with a huff. Sokka clears his throat on the other end. _"A-_ nyway, I just thought of the perfect plan! You're going to 'run into her' at her yoga class—"

"No," interrupts Zuko firmly. "No more stalker-y plans. Besides, you want me to earn her forgiveness by stretching and contemplating my place in the universe? Really?"

"Well, _I'm_ not hearing _you_ come up with plans," Sokka says petulantly.

"What does it matter anyway?" Zuko runs a hand down his face tiredly. "She clearly wants nothing to do with me, and it's not as if I could do anything about the past—"

He stops himself and sits back up as a sudden, wild idea pops into his head.

"Sokka, what tribe-related things did you and Katara do with your mom?"

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by 'tribe-related,'" Sokka comments sourly, "But Mom used to tell us old folktales— like the one about the Ocean and the Moon Spirits— before we went to bed. Oh, and she cooked stewed sea prunes whenever we got sick, 'cause it's supposed to be full of nutrients or something."

"Would that work?" Zuko absently mutters to himself, so caught up in the raw idea taking shape in his mind.

"Would what work?" Sokka asks curiously. "Bud, wanna clue me in on this? I'm your plans guy!"

"I'll call you back," Zuko replies distractedly, before ending the call and hurriedly searching for nearby shops that could have what he is looking for.


	24. Bitter Work

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 24: Bitter Work**

Iroh frowns.

His nephew has been quite out of sorts since he came back from Ember Island a couple of weeks ago.

At first, he attributed it to Zuko's breakup, but Miss Jin often comes by the tea shop, and after a few rather awkward interactions, the two seem to have settled into a state of semi-friendship.

Then, Toph informs him, quite cryptically, that Zuko just "needs a little sweetness" in his life right now. Iroh questions his snarky little investor about the statement, but Toph just tells him that it was _way more fun_ to let things unfold on their own— a philosophy that, unfortunately, Iroh doesn't quite share when it comes to Zuko.

So when Iroh finds him brooding over an over-boiled kettle of water well after closing time, he decides it is time to step in.

"Zuko," he calls, but his nephew barely acknowledges him. "I hate to interrupt your staring contest with the kettle, my boy, but we need to talk."

"Uh huh," the boy replies distractedly. Iroh purses his lips and folds his hands into his sleeves.

"I have decided to sell the tea shop to the cabbage merchant next door," he fibs, but Zuko doesn't even bat an eye.

"I now find coffee much better, for the health and for the soul," Iroh continues, narrowing his eyes at his nephew. Zuko just nods and continues to stare, unfocused, at the kettle.

"Zuko. I just spoke with the doctor," he laces his voice with pretend-grief. "She told me that I only have three months to live."

 _"What?"_

Zuko springs away from the stove, eyes wide. Iroh chuckles.

"Well, Zuko, it's nice to know you still care about your dear old uncle," he comments flippantly, and Zuko glares at him. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, nephew."

"I— it's nothing," he replies, running a hand through his hair. Iroh shakes his head and sits him down at the table.

"What is the matter, Zuko?" He asks. "You have been very distracted lately. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I told you it's nothing, uncle!" bursts out Zuko. Iroh looks at him flatly, and Zuko curls in on himself and averts his eyes.

"I just— I messed up something, and now I'm trying to fix it, okay?" He mutters sullenly.

"A noble endeavor, I am sure," comments Iroh, and Zuko blushes.

"It's stupid," he says, tracing patterns on the wooden tabletop. "I just— I need to make things right, and I have an idea on how to do it, but I don't actually know _how_ to do it, or if I do, I'm not even sure if it's gonna work, but— but I have to try, because it's just— just— ugh! I don't want to talk about it, uncle!"

"Seems like you do," Iroh tells him slyly. "Come now, tell your uncle what happened. Just as an open door cleanses the room and brings a breath of fresh air, so do conversations offer new perspectives."

Zuko hesitates, his mouth working as he struggles to get the words out. Iroh waits patiently until it all tumbles out in a rush.

"I was so stupid! I told Katara about the Spirit Oasis project, and now she's mad at me because— because I disrespected her heritage and almost destroyed sacred grounds, but I only told her because I couldn't _lie_ about it, especially after she told me how important her culture was to her, but— but she's still not talking to me and it's been _weeks,_ uncle, and I just— it's just—"

Zuko grasps the sides of his head and slumps onto the table with a frustrated groan.

"It's just been really hard," he concludes, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He doesn't catch the way Iroh's look of surprise transforms into a wily grin.

"Well," Iroh quickly schools his expression as Zuko looks at him desperately."You seem to hold Miss Katara's opinions in high regard, nephew."

Confusion furrows Zuko's brows.

"Of course I care what she thinks of me," he says, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world. Iroh fights back a smile once more.

"Any particular reason why?" Iroh teases.

"It's not like that, uncle!" Zuko huffs, but the tell-tale blush on his cheeks tells Iroh otherwise. His nephew wrings his hands before muttering, almost to himself, "I told her about— about my scar."

Now, _that_ takes Iroh aback.

"You did?"

"I— I was touring her around Roku's, and we were supposed to meet Kiyi when we— we ran into Mai. You remember Mai?" Zuko asks, and Iroh nods at the memory of the quiet little girl who frequently hung around his niece. "Well, after— after that, Katara asked about her, and one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was telling her about Lu Ten and Father and how I got my scar and why I left the company. And she didn't— she just— she wasn't disgusted at all. She said I was brave," he mutters as an afterthought, flushing deep red as he does, "She said I wouldn't go through things alone, because that's what friends are for. I just can't let my mistakes screw up our friendship, uncle."

"Hmm," Iroh observes his nephew over steepled hands. "I agree with Miss Katara, Zuko. It took immeasurable courage to stand up to Ozai. Compared to that, I am sure winning back Miss Katara's trust is much easier."

Zuko smiles bitterly.

"You'll be surprised," he says, "Toph says she could cold-shoulder someone for _years."_

"Well then, let us make sure your plan will thaw her out," says Iroh cheerfully. "What did you have in mind, nephew?"

Zuko looks at him for a moment— probably deliberating whether letting his wily old uncle meddle in his life would be worth the trouble— until he finally relents.

"What do you know about Water Tribe cooking, uncle?"

* * *

"Hey! Sugar Queen!" Toph's voice is punctuated by loud banging on the door. "Open up!"

Katara sighs and tucks her pencil behind her ear, swiping away the packets of sour cream and onion chips from her coffee table to make room for her laptop. She stands up and unlocks the door, knowing that her friend would barge in as soon as she hears the lock turn.

And march in she does, followed closely by a smiling Ty Lee.

"We come bearing gifts," announces Toph, maneuvering her way to the kitchen while holding aloft what looks like a box of cakes. Katara furrows her brows in confusion.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?"

Ty Lee piles another box on top of Toph's and dusts off her hands triumphantly.

"Iroh sends these cakes along with his love," Toph tells Katara off-handedly, heading back into the living room and flopping down on the couch.

"Why…?" Katara begins, bewildered, but Ty Lee twirls after Toph and sits primly on the arm of her couch, and Katara belatedly feels embarrassed about the state of her apartment.

"You should've told me you were coming over. I— I haven't had the chance to… clean up," she explains abashedly, but Toph just snorts.

"No sweat off my ass, Sweetness," she says dismissively. "'S not like I could _see_ it or anything."

"Yeah, we just came over to see how you were doing," Ty Lee adds brightly, casually picking up empty boxes of microwavable convenience store food and stacking them on the edge of the table.

Katara blushes and hurries forward to collect the boxes from her, before realizing that she hasn't taken the rest of the trash out yet. Much to her chagrin, Ty Lee continues to tidy up the room, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment.

"Um, I've been— I've been doing okay," Katara says, snatching some crumpled papers off the floor and stuffing them into the pile of garbage that Ty Lee gathered.

"Liar," Toph chides. "Your place is only as messy as your life is. And I'm just now _smelling_ how messy it really is."

"Well, it's been hard, okay!" Katara bursts out, stomping hard. The people in the apartment below hers bang through the floor angrily, and she yells back at them, "Yeah, I get it! Quit with the broom!"

"Wow," mutters Ty Lee. "Katara, you need to relax. Your aura is so _murky."_

"Oh, she's always like this when she's stressed, babe," Toph explains blithely, before tugging at Katara's arm and forcing her to sit with them on the couch. "Katara. Wanna tell us what's wrong so we could help?"

"I don't need help! I've _got_ this!" She insists, running a hand through her matted, tangled hair. "Unless you can write two ten-page papers and take my midterms for me, there's nothing you can do to help! And I don't even _need_ any help, because I'm _fine!"_

"Uh huh," says Toph boredly. "Keep telling yourself that while Ty Lee and I get this place cleaned up."

"You don't even know how to clean," replies Katara petulantly. Toph grins at her and stretches as she stands up.

"First time for everything, Sugar Queen. I accept thanks in cash or spa coupons."

Ty Lee leans over to give Katara a hug before following her girlfriend in cleaning up the place. Katara watches uncomfortably as Toph hefts three full garbage bags under her arms.

"You guys really don't have to do this," she tells them softly, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Ty Lee smiles brightly at her.

"Aw, Katara, we want to! Don't you worry. Besides, it's _so_ much better to study when your place is organized and clean!"

"Th-thank you," Katara says, blinking back tears. Toph forces open the door and tilts her head back at her.

"Jeez, don't go all blubbery on me now, Sugar Queen. I liked it better when you were shouting at those guys downstairs."

Katara laughs weakly at that. Toph and Ty Lee shoulder their way through her door, their arms filled with junk she accumulated the past few weeks, and Katara allows herself to take a deep breath and reaches for her notebook and computer.

Her friends slowly work their way around her apartment, chattering quietly so as not to disturb her. Loathe as she is to admit it, but their presence does make studying less lonely. She hadn't realized how much she missed them until they showed up unexpectedly.

When they finish taking out the last of the trash, Ty Lee fixes her a plate of Iroh's tea cakes and a strong cup of coffee. Katara sighs and stretches out the kinks on her shoulders— it _has_ been a long time since she ate anything other than pizza rolls, instant ramen, and microwavable dinners.

"There you go, your aura's looking _so_ much better already!" Ty Lee comments, pushing the plate into her hands as soon as they are free of her laptop.

"You should've told us how bad it was, Katara," mutters Toph. "You haven't been this stressed since your dad took that third job back in your senior year."

Katara closes her eyes and takes a sip of coffee.

"Yeah, well, we were all saving up for my college fund, and with Sokka out of the house…"

"Yeah, I know, I know, your part-time gig couldn't even cover your bills," Toph nods and sits down beside her. Ty Lee follows suit on her other side and rubs soothing circles on her back.

"This isn't as bad as back then," Katara reassures them, although she's really not so sure. "I still really appreciate the help, you guys. You didn't have to do all of this, but—"

"Oh, but that's what people do for the ones they care about!" exclaims Ty Lee.

Katara smiles at them and pulls them into a big hug.

"I know, I know. Thank you." She says, then lets go with a gasp as Toph elbows her way out of the hug. "Ugh, _Toph."_

"Yeah, I love ya too, Sweetness. Shut up and eat your cake."

* * *

"I really gotta hand it to ya, dude," Sokka says, scratching at his undercut in awe. "I mean, ocean kumquats don't _quite_ compare to sea prunes, and I'd add a _tiny bit_ more salt to those seaweed noodles if I were you, but—"

"Oh, hush, Sokka, he's doing great!" Suki retorts, patting Zuko on the back as he stirs the stew bubbling over the stove in Suki and Sokka's apartment. Suki sits down at the kitchen table and sorts through the ingredients that are strewn about. "Besides, this is perfect. Katara's been worried that she won't be able to see Gran-Gran when she visits because she'll be away at Roku's for her finals. It's gonna be the taste of home she needs."

"Do you really think she'll like it?" asks Zuko, wiping sweat off his brow. "Uncle tried to help me get the most authentic ingredients, but—"

"Oh, believe me, I've eaten enough of Gran-Gran's stew to know that that's the closest you could get to Southern Water Tribe cuisine in the Earth Kingdom," Suki assures him.

"Well, it's got Suki's stamp of approval, buddy, and she's the best person to ask about these things," Sokka says, planting a kiss on his fiancée's forehead. "But hey, if you don't think it'll work, I'll be happy to take it off your hands… maybe lemme grab a bite…"

"Oh, stop it, you big glutton," laughs Suki as Zuko bats Sokka's hands away from the stew. Sokka pouts at the two of them and starts to retaliate when his phone rings.

"Oh, jeez, it's Katara!" He exclaims, bouncing from one foot to another. "Everybody shut up!"

"We're not saying any—" starts Zuko, but Sokka flaps his arms agitatedly at him.

"I said, _shhh!"_ He whispers comically before taking the call and putting it on speakerphone. He speaks in a strained, high-pitched voice. _"Heeey,_ sis! What's up? Wanna hang out somewhere far, far away from our apartment?"

Suki slaps a hand to her forehead as Katara replies in a befuddled tone.

 _"I wasn't calling to hang out at your apartment,"_ she says. _"I was just wondering— do you still have that football helmet-slash-beer holder you made in high school? D'you think it can hold coffee, too?"_

"Oh, the Buzznator? Hell yes, I still have— no, _no,"_ Sokka shakes his head adamantly at Suki, who gasps indignantly and glares at him. "Uh, sorry, sis, that invention is _long_ gone and I'm not keeping it somewhere secret _at all."_

 _"You know you're not fooling anyone, right?"_ Katara asks him, and he laughs nervously and takes her off speaker before slinking into the bedroom.

"Oh, I can't believe him," Suki huffs as the door closes behind Sokka. "He told me he'd gotten rid of those dangerous contraptions of his."

"Can't say I'm surprised," mutters Zuko, taking the stew off the heat. "He really prides himself in the stuff he makes, whether they're plans or inventions."

"Yeah, I know," agrees Suki, handing over a couple of lidded, microwavable bowls for Zuko to ladle stew in. "I'm just disappointed he lied to me."

"Well, I tried being honest, and look where it got me," replies Zuko regrettably. Suki grimaces at him in pity.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of a lose-lose situation, huh?"

"Kinda," He snaps the lid back on the full bowl of seaweed noodles and fidgets with it thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking. "Do you really think she'll like this?"

"Zuko, you heard that conversation between her and Sokka, right?" Suki replies, not really waiting for an answer. "I love her to bits, but Katara has a tendency to forget how to take care of herself when she's busy. Sure, there's a fifty percent chance she'll just throw those kumquats and noodles away because you gave them to her, but we're banking on the fact that _no one_ can resist Gran-Gran's stew recipe."

Zuko rubs the back of his head anxiously.

"Well, if you're sure…" he takes a deep breath. "Listen, I have another gift for her that I have to pick up—"

"Another gift?" Sokka pipes up as he emerges from the bedroom. "Wow, buddy-man, if we ever fight, I want _this_ level of making up, too."

"What's the gift?" asks Suki.

"It's uh," Zuko shrugs uncomfortably and turns away. "It's a book."

"A book?" repeats Sokka incredulously. "How is that gonna help?"

Zuko tries to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks by collecting the dirty utensils on the counter.

"It's—" he coughs and nearly upends a bowl, "It's a rare book of Water Tribe folk stories. I made sure it had the ones that your mom read to you when you were kids."

He peers at the couple and doesn't miss them exchanging surprised looks.

"Wow, Zuko," Suki begins hesitantly, "That's so sweet."

"Yeah…" Sokka says slowly, watching Zuko with such close scrutiny that makes him squirm. A mischievous grin slowly appears on Sokka's face. "Hmm, it's a little _too_ sweet, right, Suki?"

Suki breaks into an identical smile.

"Yeah, I agree, Sokka, it _is_ too sweet," she says, throwing Zuko a sly look. "Hmm. I wonder why?"

"Oh, I have a theory," Sokka bounces back.

"Oh, what's your theory, Sokka?" Suki piles on.

"I think—"

"Alright, enough of this!" Zuko exclaims, banging down dirty dishes into the sink. He grabs the packed microwavable bowls he prepared and tucks them under his arm. "I'm out of here."

He could hear the two of them snickering behind his back as he starts to stalk out of their apartment, the heat in his cheeks spreading to his neck.

"Oh, Zuko, calm down, we're just messing around," calls Suki, and Zuko frowns at her over his shoulder. Sokka is still wearing a goofy smile on his face, but his fiancée seems to have her giggles under control. "C'mon, what do you need help with?"

"I need to go to this bookshop on the other side of town," Zuko finally relents, setting down the bowls back on the counter. "It's called Wan Shi Tong's Library, and I don't really know how to get there."

"Hey, I know that place!" Sokka says. "An old professor of mine works there."

"Professor Zei?" guesses Suki, and Sokka nods vigorously.

"Yeah, he's all about his rare book collection," Sokka looks at Zuko thoughtfully. "Never thought he'd give up one of his precious books, though."

Zuko scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's, well—" he clears his throat, "I spoke to him online, and he's agreed to let me borrow the book for a while. I figured I could make a copy—"

"A book heist!" Sokka gasps, slamming his hands on the table. "Now that's what I call high-risk trading!"

"Is it?" mutters Suki, but her fiancé ignores her.

"So, what do you need, buddy? Do I distract Zei while you sneak in and get the book?"

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose tiredly.

 _"No,"_ he says, "I just need directions to the place. That's all."

"Aw man," Sokka wilts in disappointment, but he motions Zuko to follow him out of the apartment nevertheless. "Okay, fine, no book heist. I can drive you there."

"Enjoy your trip!" calls Suki, before snagging Zuko by the scruff of his shirt and whispering urgently, "Do _not_ let him buy _anything._ If I find out that he blew our wedding fund on some book about maps or something, I will hold _you_ criminally responsible. Are we clear?"

Zuko gulps and nods wordlessly, before scurrying off after Sokka.

* * *

 _Knock, knock._

Katara briefly wonders if she misheard the soft knocks on the door as another one of her downstairs neighbors' complaints through the floor, but she's not making any noise this time, so that couldn't be it.

She checks through the peephole if she has any visitors— she has a feeling that Toph and Ty Lee wouldn't be the only ones dropping by now that they know how stressed Katara is— but she couldn't see anyone in her direct line of sight.

She decides to open the door and is faced with Zuko mid-crouch.

He looks up at her in surprise and immediately shoots up and takes a step back, his hand automatically going to the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, uh, hi— I thought— I thought you were asleep," he stammers. Katara narrows her eyes at him and crosses her arms over her chest.

"You look terrible," she says by way of greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just— just dropping those off," he motions at her feet, and Katara just now realizes that there were lidded bowls and a thick sheaf of papers stacked on her welcome mat.

She pushes down the urge to kick them. Instead, she glares at Zuko challengingly.

"What are those supposed to be?"

"Just… Um. Toph said you weren't eating properly, and— and your brother and Suki were worried, so, uh—" Zuko flushes pink and shakes his head. He runs a hand down his face, and his next words come out in one breath. "I thought it would be comforting for you to have stuff that reminds you of home."

Her heart stutters at that, but she ignores it.

Katara keeps her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him as she bends down to take the stack. The top bowl wobbles under the weight of the sheaf of papers— _what are those supposed to be, anyway?—_ but she balances it quickly and glares at Zuko when he tries to help her.

She tries to discern the contents of the bowls through the semi-opaque plastic.

"Is this supposed to be food?" She asks scathingly. "How do I know it's not poisoned?"

Zuko sighs exasperatedly.

"Because it would be pretty stupid of me to cook all of that for you only to have you _die_ from it."

Katara almost drops the bowls in surprise.

 _You cooked all of this for me?_

"Well, yeah," Zuko responds, shrugging nervously.

Katara chides herself mentally for speaking out loud again— she is just tired, she reasons; it's not like his thoughtfulness surprised her enough to forgive him, _no, of course not. It doesn't make up for what he did._

She tucks the papers under her arm and tentatively opens the container in spite of herself, expecting a botched experiment of some sort, but inside were noodles in thick sauce, a couple of dumplings, and…

"Are those sea prunes?" She asks incredulously.

Zuko rubs the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Ocean kumquats. I told uncle you like sea prunes, but they were all we could find— I really wanted to make it as close to your grandmother's recipe as possible, but Sokka wasn't much help since all he wanted to do was eat all of it, but you said that no one could resist your Gran-Gran's stewed sea prunes, so I thought— Katara?"

Katara sniffles and hastily wipes at her eyes with the heel of her hand, but the tears kept coming.

"I'm sorry!" Zuko drops his hand and rushes forward. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?"

Katara shakes her head, still trying to stymie the flow of tears. Zuko watches helplessly as she collects herself— she takes a deep breath before replacing the lid on the bowl, and for a second Zuko's afraid she would return the gift, but—

"Thank you, Zuko."

He blinks at her in surprise.

"It's— it's no problem." He tells her sincerely. "I wanted to do it."

Tears smart at the corners of Katara's eyes again and she laughs at herself.

"I'm not used to— to people doing stuff for me," she confesses quietly, awkwardly wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Zuko wordlessly takes his gifts from her hands and tentatively, carefully, places a hand on her shoulder.

"You said— back on Ember Island, you told me that no one should go through tough times alone." Zuko tells her, and he's met with wide, watery blue eyes. He looks at her steadily. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Katara bites her lip and flings her arms around Zuko's neck. He stumbles backwards slightly and, after a few moments, she feels him wrap his unoccupied arm around her waist and bury his face in her hair.

Katata closes her eyes with a sigh of relief.

"I think I'm ready to forgive you," she tells him, and his hold on her tightens. She smiles against his shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right?"

She feels his rusty laugh rumble through his body.

"Yeah. We're friends." He pulls back ever so slightly and beams at her so happily that Katara couldn't help but grin right back.

"I can't believe you cooked a whole batch of Gran-Gran's stew," she mutters in disbelief. His eyes crinkle at the edges with uncharacteristic mischief.

"Actually, I, uh, got you something else, too," he says, stepping away from her. Katara looks at him in confusion as he holds up the sheaf of papers shyly. "Here. I'm sorry I couldn't bind it together; Sokka and I just copied it this afternoon."

"What—"

Katara takes one look at the first page and gapes at Zuko, speechless.

"It's a book of Southern Water Tribe folk tales," Zuko explains unnecessarily.

Katara thumbs, almost reverently, through the photocopied pages.

"It's all here," she murmurs, entranced. "All the stories Mom and Gran-Gran told us…"

"I figured— it would mean a lot to you, if you can share your tribe's stories to your— to your students," Zuko says hesitantly. "Do you like it?"

Katara stares at him in amazement and clutches the papers to her chest.

"Zuko, it's… how… why…"

She struggles to find the words, but none of them would come, and she could see the worry settling in on his brow, but he has to know— he _has_ to know, this is the best, sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given her—

"So— I guess… that's all I came here for. I'm gonna take off." She catches the hint of disappointment in his voice and her heart falls when he fails to meet her eyes as he hands her the bowls of stew.

"Zuko, wait—" Katara tugs on his hand just as he turns to leave. Heart in her throat, she asks, "Do you… do you want to stay awhile?"

He looks at her with something like hope in his eyes, and Katara grips his hand tighter.

"I don't want to distract you from schoolwork…" he begins, but he takes a step closer to her anyway, and Katara's breath hitches at their sudden closeness.

"It's okay," she swallows and turns away from him to open her door, "I could use the distraction. I've been working on my paper for two days straight."

She leads him into her apartment, thanking her luck that her place wasn't in the sorry state that Ty Lee and Toph arrived in.

"So, uh…" she sets down the bowls of stew and the photocopied book on her coffee table and motions for him to sit. "Make yourself at home. Do you want water, or some cake…?"

"My uncle's?" he asks, and Katara raises her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah," she studies him for a moment. "Did you have him send those to me, too?"

"No, no," Zuko scratches his cheek. "He thought it would be a good backup plan in case you, uh… in case you threw my cooking away."

"Smart," comments Katara with a rueful smile.

"Anyway, water's fine. I serve those cakes everyday, I'm kinda sick of them," Zuko replies. His eyes land on the ridiculous invention she borrowed from Sokka earlier and picks it up with a smirk. "So this is the infamous Buzznator, huh?"

"He bragged about that to you?" Katara asks in disbelief, handing him a glass of water. He huffs in amusement, still studying the contraption.

"He put you on speakerphone when you called this morning," he explains, making Katara gasp in indignation. He holds up his hands appeasingly. "I was in their apartment cooking! If it makes you feel better, Suki got mad at him for lying about throwing away his 'dangerous contraptions.'"

"Oh, I know," Katara laughs and sits down on her couch beside him. "He told me how to get to his secret storage unit. There was a lot of crap in there. A lot of them could put someone's eye out."

"Makes sense," mutters Zuko, peering into the cups attached to the Buzznator. He looks up at Katara in horror. "Did you put energy drink _and_ coffee in this?"

Katara folds her arms defensively.

"I needed the boost," she pouts. "It's not that big of a deal; I did it all the time back in college!"

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Katara, you could _die_ from that!"

"Not if you hydrate a lot!"

"Suki was right— you really forget to take care of yourself," Zuko says. Katara frowns at him.

"You know, I _really_ don't appreciate you guys talking about me behind my back like that," she tells him. "I'm not a helpless little girl."

"No one said you were," says Zuko levelly, reaching for a bowl of stew before muttering to himself, "Although you _are_ acting like one."

"I _heard_ that, you jerk."

"Good to know your hearing is still good after all the caffeine you drank," shoots back Zuko dryly. He stands up and heads for the kitchen. "I'll heat this up so you can eat something substantial."

"You don't have to do that— I can do it perfectly well on my own," gripes Katara, following him. Zuko just raises an eyebrow at her and punches the buttons on her microwave pointedly. Katara glares at him for a few moments before sighing resignedly.

"You don't really have to do all this," she repeats softly.

"I know," he replies just as quietly. "But I also know more than anyone what stress does to a person, Katara. I don't want you to end up like my cousin."

A lump forms in her throat at the casual reminder of all the things he's shared with her.

"Thank you," she whispers, not trusting herself to speak any more than that.

"It's no problem," he smiles wanly at her and leans against the counter.

She settles in beside him and they both watch the bowl rotate in the microwave in relatively comfortable silence. Katara chances a glance at him only to see that he is looking around in idle interest— it feels oddly intimate to Katara, even though he _has_ been to her apartment before; and to think that just hours ago she thought she would never have him back in her life—

"I didn't notice that before," he says suddenly, pointing at her refrigerator. Katara follows his line of sight and smiles when she sees what he's looking at.

"It's the pictures my kids drew for me," she explains as he moves closer to examine them. "I change them up every couple of weeks— there's a lot of them."

"Your kids must really like you," he tells her without a hint of irony, and Katara watches, transfixed, as his face transforms into that soft look that he only wears around Kiyi. She bites back a giggle— for all his insistence that he doesn't like kids, he seems to have such a soft spot for them— and joins him in front of the fridge.

"Is that supposed to be you?" he asks, pointing at one of the scrawled figures. "Why are there loops in your head?"

"Oh, Korra drew that," laughs Katara fondly, hovering closer to peer at the drawing. "She's one of the smartest kids in my class— she's actually about to accelerate to second grade— and when she found out I was also Southern Water Tribe, she drew me wearing her grandma's hairstyle."

"You have Southern Water Tribe students?" he asks curiously, and Katara is reminded of how stupidly stubborn she had been— he takes so much interest in her culture and understands why she is so proud of it; how could he be the unfeeling jerk she painted in her mind?

She shakes her head and traces the heavy crayon marks on the paper.

"Just one," Katara answers him. "I know I shouldn't play favorites, but I'm really gonna miss Korra when she moves up. Plus, I've grown attached to her dog, Naga."

"She brings her _dog_ to school?" asks Zuko.

"Oh, it tails her all the way from their house and waits in the playground 'til her mom picks them both up," she grins at his dumbfounded expression. "The preschool I work for is a bit progressive; they believe in integrating nature into learning. But I really just like having Korra's dog around because it keeps my more hyperactive kids occupied during recess."

"No wonder you're so tired," comments Zuko wryly.

"Oh, don't worry; naptime isn't just for the kids," Katara says laughingly just as the microwave dings. She shares a look with Zuko and tilts her head. "Hey, wanna split that meal with me?"

His lips curl into a hesitant smile as he takes the bowl out.

"Will I disrespect your heritage if I ignore the kumquats and go straight for the seaweed noodles?"

"You know what? I'll allow it," Katara laughs and sets the table for them. "You're lucky I missed Gran-Gran's stew so much."

"Yeah," Zuko catches her eye and smiles so softly at her that it warms her all over. "Can't believe my luck."

* * *

 **A/N:** I know I just updated this six days ago, but I just couldn't stop writing! This is the quickest update ever lol. I'm so glad to be over this hurdle— I can now put more heat in this slow burn! Anyway, please tell me what you guys think of this chapter! Cheers and happy holidays!


	25. Save the Date

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 25: Save the Date**

It's quiet and dark in his apartment when Zuko comes back from Katara's place.

They'd ended up talking until they finished an entire bowl of stew— at one point, Katara even got him to try one kumquat and he was surprised that it wasn't as sour as he remembered— and they wouldn't have stopped chatting if he hadn't reminded her that she had to take the ferry out to Ember Island the next day to get to her afternoon class.

 _I can't believe how late it's gotten._

"Well, well, well," Toph's voice breaks the stillness of the room and Zuko nearly jumps out of his skin. "If it isn't Spice King coming back so late."

"Toph! What are you doing?" He asks, turning on the lights. "Why are you sitting out here in the dark?"

"Right, 'cause I can tell when it's dark," Toph reminds him sarcastically. She follows him to his bedroom and leans against the door jamb. "So, how did it go with Sweetness?"

"It was fine," he answers curtly, trying not to give his nosy roommate anything to pounce on.

"Uh huh," Toph raises her eyebrows disbelievingly. "She didn't ask you to choke on your kumquats and die?"

"No," Zuko replies. Then narrows his eyes at Toph. "I never told you about the kumquats."

"I'm everywhere, Hotpants, and don't you forget that," cackles Toph, before joining him on the edge of the bed. "Seriously, dude, I'm glad you patched things up. Now you wouldn't be so mopey all the time."

"I wasn't _mopey,"_ protests Zuko.

"Sparky, you were the _king_ of Mopetown," contests Toph. "Mayor of Broodsville. Most eligible bachelor on Dreary Lane—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," interrupts Zuko, shoving her out of his room.

"Sheesh, if you could just admit that you _like_ her—"

"Of course I like her, Toph, she's my _friend,"_ he insists, still trying to get her out of his room, "Much like you are."

"You wouldn't wanna stick your tongue down my throat, though!" singsongs Toph, and Zuko closes the door on her face.

He stands for a moment in the middle of his room, reliving his visit with Katara. An involuntary smile creeps up on his lips and he scrubs a hand down his face to get rid of it.

 _I'm just happy we're friends again,_ he tells himself sternly. _I've_ just _earned her trust back; I'm not gonna ruin that_.

* * *

"Sokka and I finally decided on a date _and_ a venue!" Suki announces giddily on the phone before Katara could even say hello.

"Finally!" cries Katara over the din of the cafeteria at Roku's. "I can't believe you guys spent a year engaged without even so much as _discussing_ a venue."

"Well, now we can get right on that, Miss Maid of Honor!" Suki giggles excitedly. "What are you doing three months from now?"

Katara laughs.

"I'll be working on my dissertation, but other than that, I'm free!" She grins wistfully at her leftovers, wishing Suki didn't do this over the phone. "Oh, wow, I can't believe you're actually getting the spring wedding you always wanted!"

"I know!" Suki agrees. "Hell, I hope we can convince Toph to wear a bridesmaid's dress…"

"Don't worry, I think Ty Lee could do that just fine," Katara assures her. "What else do we have to plan? Ooh! Have you picked out your wedding dress yet?"

"I'll be wearing my mom's, with a few alterations for the spring weather in Kyoshi Island," explains Suki. "But we still need a caterer and a baker who could pass Sokka's standards— oh, and we need to pick out the centerpieces, narrow down the guestlist, choose between a band or a DJ— there's so much to do!"

"Well, not to steal a line from my brother," starts Katara, gathering her books and her plate and cradling her phone on her shoulder, "But don't worry! I'm your plans girl!"

"Oh, I'm totally depending on your love for binders," chuckles Suki, before abruptly pausing. "I, uh, have to tell you, though— Sokka's gonna ask Aang to be his best man."

"I expected that," Katara replies, depositing her leftovers in the bin. "Suki, I'm totally okay with it! We broke up ages ago, and we were kinda back to being normal on your engagement party— well, after I decided to stop avoiding him."

"Well, if you're sure…" Suki hesitates. "It's just, you two might have to work closely together with all the wedding plans— if he ever flies back here, that is."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll manage just fine," Katara says, rushing through the quad to get to her next class. "Sokka might be disappointed with the lack of steak and whiskey at his bachelor's party, but let's leave that problem to the guys."

"Alright," replies Suki. "Come over as soon as you can, okay? I need your opinion on whether or not the color scheme Sokka and I picked matches our island wedding."

"Oh, believe me, I have so many ideas already," Katara says, struggling with the weight of her books as she climbs the knoll surrounding the quad. "Talk to you soon, okay? I gotta get to class."

"Okay, see ya!"

She barely pockets her phone when someone calls her name and hugs her from the side.

"I finally ran into you, I can't believe it!" says the brown-haired blur, and as Katara adjusts the books and binders in her arms she realizes it was Kiyi who tackled her.

"Kiyi! I didn't know you got accepted into Roku's! Congratulations!" she greets the girl with another embrace. Kiyi tilts her head at Katara.

"Aw, I thought Zuzu would've told you!" She exclaims, and Katara blushes in embarrassment.

"Well, uh, your brother and I hadn't had much time to catch up until— until recently," she tells Kiyi, praying that the girl would attribute the redness of her cheeks to the heat. "I've just been really busy."

"Oh, I bet!" nods Kiyi, falling in step with her. "I can't believe how hard college is! But it's so fun, too!"

"Enjoy it while you can," advises Katara with a laugh.

"I will!" trills Kiyi, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Oh, by the way, since Zuzu might not have told you— I'll be staying with Uncle Iroh this weekend!"

"Really? You know Iroh, too?" Katara looks at her in confusion. "I thought Iroh was Zuko's father's brother."

"Oh, yeah, but he always visited with Zuzu, and he insisted I call him 'uncle' and he brought me a lot of Azula's old toys," Kiyi explains brightly as they round the corner to the Social Sciences building.

"That's a very Iroh thing to do," Katara smiles. "Zuko told me he wanted to throw me a congratulatory party just for getting into Roku's."

"That's actually why I'll be visiting him!" exclaims Kiyi, and Katara looks at her strangely. The other girl shakes her head sheepishly. "Oh, no, I meant Uncle Iroh's gonna throw me a 'congrats you got into Roku's' party, too!" She suddenly gasps and grabs Katara's shoulder, her eyes sparkling. "You should come!"

"Well, Professor Huu _is_ on leave this week, so I won't have class…" starts Katara, thinking about her plans to stay at the library, but Toph and Suki's collective urgings for her to have some fun resound in her head. "Y'know what? Sure! I'll be there."

"Great!" Kiyi jumped up and hugged her again. "I gotta get to class. See you! I'm so excited!"

"See you, Kiyi!" calls Katara to her retreating back. She shakes her head thoughtfully as she enters her classroom— Professor Due hasn't arrived yet, and the rest of the class are either hurriedly finishing their papers or hanging out by the huge windows to catch a break from the oppressive Fire Nation heat. Katara finds her usual seat and absently pulls out her phone.

 _"I ran into your sister today at Roku's. Well, she ran into me, actually."_

Her fingers stutter over the keyboard as she types the message. Is it too impertinent to text Zuko about Kiyi? She pauses. They'd only just made up— she'd been so unbelievably _horrible_ to him, too— does he still need more time to recover from her harshness? She thinks back to the dinner they shared in her apartment; he seemed relieved enough to put all the awkwardness behind them, but what if that's just a one-time thing and he reverts back to his old, reserved self?

Professor Due enters the room just as Katara decides to hit send. She pockets her phone quickly— she's not the type to text during class; _it's just disrespectful—_ but it vibrates with a reply almost instantly and Katara couldn't resist.

 _"I'm not surprised,"_ Zuko texts, _"She's been looking for you since the start of term."_

Katara peeks at her professor and sneaks in a reply.

 _"She said she's staying with Iroh this weekend."_

 _"Yeah. Uncle's throwing her a party. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he gets."_

Katara fights a smile at the mental image of Zuko grumbling about parties to his uncle.

 _"I bet he's partly doing it to mess with you,"_ she types.

 _"I know,"_ he texts back. When he doesn't text anything else, Katara decides that must be the end of their chat. All the better— she really needs to concentrate on the lecture— but then her phone buzzes again.

 _"You should come."_

Her heart skips a beat and she almost laughs at her reaction— of course he would invite her; it'd be rude not to, especially when it was the main topic of their conversation.

 _"I already told Kiyi I would,"_ she replies.

It takes a few moments before he texts back.

 _"Great. I'd have someone other than Toph and Kiyi to talk to."_

A slight pang of disappointment suddenly hits Katara.

 _"How characteristic of you to invite me just so you could have someone else to talk to,"_ she types, then erases her message. Why is she disappointed, anyway? She already agreed to go to the party without _his_ invitation. Why does it matter what reasons he had for asking her to come?

 _"Glad to be of assistance,"_ she sends instead, hoping it wouldn't sound as terse in her head, then buries her phone at the bottom of her bag for the rest of the lecture so she doesn't think about what his reply would be.

* * *

Zuko stares at his phone dumbfoundedly.

 _"Did I say something wrong?"_ He begins to type, but dismisses it.

 _"I like talking with you more than I like talking with Toph and Kiyi,"_ he writes, but quickly deletes it with a groan.

 _"I really wanted to invite you first, but Kiyi beat me to it,"_ he tries, but that just seems even stupider than the last one that he almost chucks his phone at the wall in frustration.

 _"Misery loves company,"_ is what he settles on. It's the safest reply— at least, he hopes it is.

"Table twelve, nephew," Iroh calls from the counter, and Zuko lets out a huff and places his phone screen-down on the kitchen table before agitatedly taking the tray from his uncle and serving tea absentmindedly.

He hurries back into the kitchen as fast as he could.

No texts.

Zuko sighs and runs a hand down his face. He'd been ecstatic that she texted him first— how is it possible that he'd already ruined what tenuous friendship they had _again?_

His phone buzzes.

Zuko scrambles for it and it nearly slips from his shaking hands.

He nearly shouts at it when he sees it is Sokka calling him.

"What?" he barks, a little harsher than he intended, but Sokka just chuckles on the other line.

"Good day to you, too, buddy," he says merrily. "I have great news!"

Zuko fights the mounting headache he's getting. Sokka's calls somehow still remind him of the other guy's time-wasting nonsense when he was trying to win Katara's trust back.

"What is it?" he asks.

"You're my stand-in best man!" Sokka crows happily, but Zuko cannot comprehend what he just said.

"Your… what?" He asks in genuine confusion.

"My stand-in 'til Aang gets here!"

"I still don't follow."

There's a gust of Sokka's dramatic sigh on the other end of the call.

"Aang's my best man," he explains in theatrical slowness. "And, until he gets here from wherever charitable organization he's working for right now, I need you to do his best man duties."

"I— I didn't even know I was invited to your— to your wedding," Zuko stammers in surprise.

"Of course you are, dude!" exclaims Sokka in disbelief. "And not just because you won over Suki when you didn't let me buy that complete set of rare books on the conquest of Ba Sing Se."

"Don't you— don't you have other friends who can do this?" asks Zuko, an unexpected pit of nerves forming at the bottom of his stomach.

"Oh, I have _plenty_ of guy friends who'd kill for this, buddy-man, but I want _you_ to do it!"

"I've never been—" Zuko clears his throat uncomfortably. "I've never been a best man before. What am I supposed to do?"

"Convince Suki to let me get this really nice tux I've been eyeing," Sokka replies in all seriousness. "And you gotta go cake tasting with us. Oh! And plan the menu. And try to sneak in edible arrangements instead of centerpieces. And get steak and whiskey for my bachelor's party—"

"Is your wedding all about food for you?" asks Zuko exasperatedly.

"Hey, man, I'm just a simple guy with simple needs," Sokka declares casually. "So, are you in?"

"I'm only doing it until Aang gets here, right?"

"Right," Sokka pauses for dramatic effect. "Unless…?"

"No."

"Alright, bud, whatever makes ya happy."

"I'm never happy."

"Yeah, we'll see," Sokka says smugly before hanging up.

Zuko stares at his phone a bit longer than necessary— still no new messages— before pocketing it and ducking back into the tea shop.

He's serving an awkward teenage couple who appears to be on their first date when his phone pings.

He manages to walk back to the kitchen slower than he wants to, and when he finally reads her message he couldn't help but smile stupidly at the phone.

 _"Well, I hope Misery likes to be made fun of, because that's what kind of company I'll be with Kiyi and Toph around."_

* * *

"So, this is the big, bad party you were afraid of," Katara comments dryly as soon as she spots him in the corner of the tea shop. He frowns deeply at her, although it comes off looking like a petulant pout.

"Didn't you know?" He asks her sardonically, "Uncle expanded the guest list."

"Oh, I know. I came with Suki and Sokka," she tells him, just as Sokka barges in with Suki in tow, eyes wide and jaw slack.

"Zuko, dude," he greets, his expression still a little dazed as he observes the quaint decorations that Iroh put up for the party. "Man, I want our wedding reception to look just like this."

"I kinda agree," says Suki, pulling her hand away from Sokka to grab a crab cake from a plate at the end of the long food table. "I'm starting to think we should add Iroh to the list of caterers for the wedding."

Katara nods her assent.

"We have to be careful, though," she jokes, "He might end up planning your entire wedding and I won't have _anything_ to do."

 _"You're_ gonna be planning the wedding, too?" Zuko chokes out in surprise.

Katara raises an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I'm Suki's maid of honor," she replies archly— until what he said sinks in. She glances between her brother and Zuko."Wait, what do you mean, 'too?'"

"Surprise!" exclaims Sokka, gesturing at Zuko as though he is something being auctioned off. "Zuko's my stand-in best man!"

Katara turns to Suki in disbelief, but Suki just shrugs.

"I thought he told you," she says, a little too casually. Katara narrows her eyes suspiciously at her. Suki is often straightforward with her, so whatever their plan is this time, it must've been Sokka's idea.

She decides to ignore it for now and turns back to Zuko.

"I hope you have Iroh's taste when it comes to party-planning," she tells him, and his lips quirk up slightly.

"If I had my uncle's taste, Sokka and Suki would end up with a statue like that," he says, pointing at the jewel-eyed monkey on the counter.

"Huh," muses Katara, leaning beside him against the wall, "I've always wondered what that symbolized."

"It symbolizes Uncle's love for tacky things," says Zuko in a wry tone. "And his love for shopping at bargain sales."

"Oh no, we _really_ can't have him plan the wedding, then," Katara says, side-eyeing Sokka, who is busy piling his plate with every dish on the table while Suki watches amusedly. "I have strict notes from Suki that I shouldn't let Sokka near any bargain sales while they're on wedding planning mode."

"Got the same note when Sokka and I went to that rare bookstore," Zuko discloses with a small smile. "I think that's the only reason Sokka asked _me_ to be the proxy best man."

"Oh, you know that's not the _only_ reason," Katara chides, placing a hand on his arm. "He really likes spending 'manly' time with you."

Zuko's lips twist as though he tasted something sour. Katara laughs and gives his arm a squeeze.

"Aren't you excited to spend more _manly_ time with him picking out the flowers for the wedding?"

"He wants to have edible arrangements instead of flowers," Zuko recalls, and Katara claps her hands to her mouth to stifle her giggle.

"Oh _no,"_ she manages to say, "Oh, no way. Suki's gonna have a heart attack."

"About what?" asks Suki, suddenly materializing at Katara's shoulder with a half-full plate.

Zuko and Katara exchange glances and they both somehow come to an agreement.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Katara tells the bride-to-be, eyes sparkling with mischief. Suki studies both of them dubiously before relenting and changing the subject.

"I can't believe Sokka and I got an invite to this just because we know you and Zuko and Toph," she says, picking up a delicately-iced cookie from her plate.

Katara spots Kiyi bounding over to their corner and waves her over.

"Well, now you're about to know Kiyi, too," she tells Suki.

"Hey, guys!" Kiyi exclaims, "Uncle Iroh really knows how to plan a party, huh? This is _way_ bigger than I expected! He even invited some of his old friends who now teach at Roku's."

"Glad to know you're having fun," Zuko grumbles, but it comes out lighter than expected. Kiyi simply sticks her tongue out at him.

"Kiyi, this is my brother's fiancée, Suki," Katara steps in with a laugh. Suki and Kiyi shake hands amicably.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far, Kiyi?" Suki asks.

Kiyi bobs her head up and down.

"Oh, super _duper,"_ she grins. "Uncle says he'll give me a tour of the city tomorrow, too! We might even go to the Ba Sing Se Zoo; I'm so thrilled!"

"That's great. Did you know it's a cruelty-free zoo where the animals are free to roam in simulations of their natural habitats? They even release them into the wild after they're grown," Katara says, then smiles at everyone's questioning looks. "Aang did some non-profit conservation work there."

"Figures," mutters Zuko, and Katara nudges him with her elbow.

"Who's Aang?" asks Kiyi curiously. "Is he that really cute guy in a manbun? He's so funny, which makes him even _cuter!"_

"Oh, no, that's my brother, Sokka." Katara laughs as Kiyi's eyes grow wide as saucers.

 _"Nooo,"_ she groans, plastering her hands to her cheeks. She looks at Suki in horror. "I'm so sorry! This is so embarrassing!"

Zuko begins to chortle and it sets Katara and Suki off, too. Suki collects herself faster than the other two.

"It's really validating to know that other people find Sokka attractive," she teases Kiyi, who is still very much red in the face and hiding behind her hands. Suki smiles reassuringly at her. "Really, it's okay! I think we can all tell you it's something we can just laugh about."

"If you say so…" Kiyi peeks at her brother through her fingers. "Well, at least I made Zuzu laugh. He's been real mopey recently."

"I wasn't _mopey!_ Why does everyone say that?" protests Zuko indignantly.

"Because you _were,"_ insists Kiyi, before turning to the girls and mimicking her brother. "He was all, 'It doesn't matter anyway,' and 'There isn't anything I can do,' whenever I asked him what was wrong."

"Oh no, was that about Jin?" Katara asks, completely missing the knowing smirk that Suki shoots Zuko. Zuko's eyes widen and he coughs uncomfortably.

"Uh, yes, yes it was. She dumped me out of the blue," he tries to lie, but the tilt of Katara's head tells him she's not believing a word he says.

So he's thankful when Kiyi asks who Jin is, and why she hasn't heard about her before.

"We weren't that serious," he tells her after she accuses him of hiding 'the love of his life' from her little sister.

"Oh, but if your breakup affected you that much, she must mean a great deal to you!" exclaims Kiyi. Zuko swallows as he sees Suki's smile grow wider over Katara's shoulder.

"Yeah, Zuko, if you can be _that_ sad about someone cutting you out of their life, she must be _pretty special,"_ stresses Suki, and Zuko wonders when his life has gotten so complicated that someone he's not even close with knows about his crush.

That thought stops him in his tracks.

That's what it is, isn't it? He has a _crush_ on her.

Why else would he try so hard to win her trust back? Why else would he fret so much about asking her to this party? Why else would he insist, to others and to himself, that they are 'just friends'?

 _Dammit, Toph was right._

"Did you say something?" asks Katara.

Zuko freezes.

 _Did I just speak out loud?_

"I, uh," he scrambles for words to say, heart pounding in his throat. The girls lean in, waiting for his explanation, and he blurts out, "Toph was right. About my— my romantic situation."

"Don't let her catch you saying that," Katara chuckles and pats his back pityingly. "You'll never live it down."

Zuko nods mutely, his throat as dry as sandpaper. Why did he have to realize this _now?_

Another thought materializes in his head, and he can't decide whether he is more horrified or pleased: They'd have to plan a wedding _together._

He doesn't hear much of what Sokka says when he joins their little group. His mind is somehow both distantly detached yet acutely aware that Katara is standing next to him, close enough that their arms brush whenever she gestures at her brother, and every time it happens, a jolt of electricity passes through Zuko, making his skin tingle.

 _Oh no._

It is one thing when he could still convince himself that he did all those things for her because he needed to make things right; it's a _whole other thing_ now that he knows he might have done all those things because he _likes_ her and actually _missed_ her like some lovestruck idiot.

"That Bumi guy's batshit crazy, and I fuckin' _love_ it," announces Toph, suddenly appearing in their circle and breaking Zuko's musings. "Betcha he snorts a buttload of crack."

"Some of the seniors say he has medical marijuana for his arthritis," Kiyi chimes in. Toph's face splits into a huge smile and she turns her head in Kiyi's general direction.

"Hey, will ya look at that, Half-Pint's hanging with the big kids!" She offers her fist for Kiyi to bump, which she does enthusiastically. "Has anyone offered you your first taste of beer yet?"

"Toph," Zuko warns.

Toph just cackles and punches Zuko on the arm.

"Didn't know you were there, Sparky, you were silent for a _long_ time," she comments.

Katara grins at her from Zuko's other side.

"Oh, he's probably just contemplating on whatever you told him that turned out to be right," she tells her impishly.

Toph gapes at Zuko, speechless for once, and Zuko blushes to the roots of his hair and wishes the ground would just swallow him up because, for all his damned luck, he just _has_ to like a girl who couldn't resist putting him on the spot.

"Oh, Zuko, you have _no idea_ how happy that makes me," Toph says so triumphantly that Zuko isn't surprised when she slugs his arm hard enough to leave a bruise. He winces as he rubs the tender spot.

"You have no idea how much it _sucks,"_ he tells her lowly, but Toph just tilts her head up at him in confusion.

"Oh, really? How?"

Zuko chances a glance at the others; they are still enraptured by some story Kiyi is telling them about Bumi. He unceremoniously drags Toph away from the group.

"I like Katara," he hisses as soon as they are out of earshot. It comes out more like an accusation than a confession. Toph smiles placidly at him.

"I know," she says, annoyingly calm for Zuko's taste. He would've liked it if she gloats and gloats and lords the fact over him, but now she's choosing to hear him out?

"What the hell, Toph!" He almost screams in frustration. "I don't know what to do!"

"You could try sticking your tongue down her throat and fucking her in the back room," Toph suggests crassly, and Zuko slaps a hand to his forehead.

"Shut up! This is not _helping,"_ he groans, then a thought suddenly hits him, making his mind careen into a nervous spiral. His palms start to sweat. "Do you think she knows?"

"Sweetness?" Toph snorts. "Nope. Pretty sure she doesn't. She's dense about these things."

"Even if— even if Suki and Sokka kinda know?"

"Dude, the whole school knew about Aang's crush on her and she didn't realize it _at all,"_ Toph assures him, wandering towards an empty table and sitting down. Zuko follows suit and drops his head into his hands.

"This will go away, right?" He mumbles despondently. "It _has_ to. Otherwise I'd be awkward around her forever."

"When are you _ever_ not awkward around people, Hotpants?" laughs Toph, kicking back her chair. "Not my fault you finally took your head outta your ass and saw what was in front of ya."

Zuko glares at her uselessly before slumping down on the table again.

"Can't believe I just realized it now," he mutters. "This is the worst thing _ever."_

"What's the worst thing ever?" Katara says behind them, and Zuko nearly falls out of his chair. She chuckles at his reaction and sets down three flutes of sparkling cider on the table before pulling up a chair.

"Sparky here just realized he was capable of feeling emotion," Toph grins diabolically at Zuko, who snatches up one of the ciders and downs it like it would save him from this conversation. Katara frowns at him in concern.

"Okay…" she says uncertainly, glancing between him and Toph. "Well, whatever's going on between you two, for the record, I never thought you were incapable of feeling emotion, Zuko."

Zuko could feel the tips of his ears reddening.

"Thanks," he says, not quite meeting her eyes. Doesn't mean he couldn't feel her concerned look, though.

"Seriously, though, what's all this about?" She asks, suddenly appearing in his line of sight, trying to catch his eye. "Maybe I can help."

Toph snorts and coughs over her sparkling cider and Zuko gets ready to run out of the tea shop and into the woods where no one would ever find him.

"Oh, Sweetness," Toph chortles, patting down the splotches of cider on her shirt, "Why don't you let Sparky figure this one out for himself?"

"I'm just showing concern," pouts Katara, before turning back to Zuko. "I mean, it _does_ look like you're getting all _mopey_ again."

"I'm not," insists Zuko, averting his gaze. His heart thunders in his ears. "Thanks, but I can get through this on my own."

"You said friends don't let friends go through tough stuff alone," Katara tells him disapprovingly. Zuko swallows as he meets her eyes.

Big mistake. She could probably tell how he feels just by the way he looks at her. He returns to awkwardly studying his cider.

"Well, this isn't as tough as it sounds, really," he says. And, because he can't help but feel guilty for shutting her out, he adds, "I'll tell you when I need help."

He catches a bit of her smile in his peripheral vision, and even _that_ sends his heart into a frenzy.

"I'll be counting on that," she tells him. She stands up and places a hand gently on top of his head, and it is all Zuko could do not to keel over and die from a heart attack. "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"

He nods silently and watches her walk away, wondering if he should just tell her so she could properly reject him and put an end to his misery. Toph's maniacal laughter pulls him out of his reverie.

"Oh, man," she reaches over and claps his shoulder. "Oh, Sparky, you are in _so deep."_

 _I really am,_ he thinks to himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** And now we've come to my favorite part: torturing Zuko with pining! Let's reheat this slow burn!


	26. Color Schemes

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 26: Color Schemes**

"Blue and green. For a beachside wedding." Katara deadpans, holding the chips of cardboard in her hand as though they would explode.

The couple in front of her nods enthusiastically.

"You really are perfect for each other," mutters Katara exasperatedly.

"What? At least it fits the theme!" cries Sokka defensively. Suki flips through the catalogue and shoves a page under Katara's nose.

"Yeah! I saw one earlier— here, look! Seafoam green is perfect! Can you imagine walking down the aisle in a dress in this color?" Suki tries to convince her, but Katara is having none of it.

"It's so redundant! Are you _sure_ you don't want something neutral, like silver and ivory and beige?" Katara tugs the catalogue from Suki's hands and flips to a page she marked a few hours ago. She brandishes the book in their faces. "See! It's so elegant! Zuko, back me up here!"

Zuko sighs and tries to fit himself into the crowded kitchen table. His thigh slides against hers as he pulls his chair closer, and Katara tries not to let the heat emanating from him distract her from her mission.

"Well? Isn't this better than _their_ idea?" she presses, pushing the catalogue into his hands. He frowns and flips back and forth between Suki's page and hers.

"Why don't you just combine them?" he asks in a tone that says he would rather be anywhere else. "It's better than the purple and orange one they kept suggesting before. At least the white looks good with the blue-green."

"First of all, it's _ivory,_ not _white,_ and second of all—" Katara pauses, then leans over to take a second look at Suki's page. Zuko's arm twitches under her hand before he practically shoves her the catalogue. Katara takes it gratefully and mentally shakes herself.

"Second of all," she continues, clearing her throat and comparing the contents of the pages, "While they _do_ look good together, I think it's bordering on lazy to just add ivory to a color you like. It needs an accent."

"Like Iroh's Fire Nation drawl?" quips Sokka, earning him a tired sigh from Suki and a flat stare from Zuko.

Katara rolls her eyes at them and slides the book towards the couple.

"Here, check _these_ out," she says, tapping several pages insistently, "Coral or baby blue could go well with seafoam green and ivory. Pick one. Just pick one. _Please."_

Suki and Sokka exchange looks.

"Well, you did say you wanted to wear that ridiculous light blue tux…" begins Suki, and Sokka jumps up from his chair and squishes her into a huge hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he screams, and Katara thinks it's a credit to their relationship that Suki just laughs at Sokka's loudness. "You're the best girl in the _entire freaking world!"_

"Thanks for that," mutters Katara dryly, snapping the catalogue shut and making a note on her binder. Zuko moves to stand but Katara catches his elbow. "Where are you going? We're not done yet!"

"We spent _two hours_ deciding on the _goddamned_ color scheme!" bursts out Zuko, yanking his elbow from her grip as though electrocuted. "I'm going for a walk."

The door slams behind him and Katara stares at it bewilderedly, wondering if she should follow him— he has been acting weird (well, weirder) ever since they converged in Suki and Sokka's kitchen that afternoon to plan the wedding.

Behind her, Suki pins Sokka with a pointed look and a tilt of her head. Sokka mutters a soft, "Oh!" of understanding before burying it in a cough.

"Yeah, dude's got a point," he tells Katara. "Sis, uh— why don't cha buy some snacks for us or something? Or take a walk to clear your head, too?"

Katara narrows her eyes at her brother.

"Why are you trying to get me out of your apartment?" She asks, even though she _does_ want to go out. What she doesn't want, though, is any involvement in whatever plan her brother is hatching— they'd probably go over her head and revert their color scheme decision to that god-awful purple and orange combo.

"Well, we _have_ been working on the wedding for _hours,"_ he responds flippantly. "It's almost four p.m.— about time for a snack break, right?"

Suki nods enthusiastically at his side and moves forward to open the door for Katara.

"Yeah, and we're about to move into the catering side of planning— can't do that on an empty stomach!" she says, handing Katara her purse.

"I _am_ a bit hungry…" Katara begins, but Suki is already saying goodbye and shutting the door on her.

"You really think they're gonna run into each other outside?" Sokka asks, popping open a can of beer from their fridge. Suki smirks at him and swipes it off his hands and takes a sip.

"You really think Zuko actually went for a walk?" she inquires in the same tone. "Haven't you seen how he's avoiding her like she's got the plague? He's probably hyperventilating in an alley somewhere, too overwhelmed by Katara's presence."

"My man needs to step up his game," sighs Sokka.

* * *

Zuko is not an avoider.

Or, at least, he tries not to be.

But being in such close quarters with Katara makes him want to kiss her senseless every time she laughs or touches him casually and that is _not_ a thought that Zuko wants to confront.

He sighs, his breath coming out as a puff of mist. It is starting to feel like winter— or as close to winter as the Earth Kingdom experiences— but the crisp, cold air does nothing to clear his head.

He doesn't know how his crush accelerated so quickly in a matter of days since his realization. It's as if he somehow managed to get a Katara-radar installed in his brain that reminds him to look actively for her everywhere he goes. It's stupid and it's annoying and he'd rather live without feeling this way at all— because, if Zuko were being honest, it is excruciatingly painful when he looks around and she's not there.

It's also incredibly gut-wrenching, too, whenever she comes near him, expecting him to act as though he doesn't have a vice-grip in his chest and butterflies in his stomach.

"Zuko!"

He winces at the sound of Katara approaching him from behind.

"Done with your walk already?" She comes to a stop beside him, and Zuko realizes he must've stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk for who knows how long.

"I… just had to get out of there," he mumbles, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "I can't believe how long it took for them to decide on three colors."

Katara hums in agreement and loops her arm through his and tugs him forward. Zuko swallows uncomfortably when she pats his bicep in reassurance.

"Don't you worry. When I get married, I'm gonna get back at them by deciding _twice_ as long," she jokes. Zuko's mind stutters at the mental image of her in a wedding dress, and he has to consciously remind himself to breathe.

"Right," he clears his throat and tries to match her wry tone. "As if you haven't picked out your color scheme yet. I bet you have your whole wedding planned to the seating chart."

"Oh, don't paint me like some sort of hopeless romantic," she says, tightening her grip on his arm threateningly. "Besides, the groom-to-be has to have a say in it, right?"

"Of course," responds Zuko absently, his heart squeezing at the thought of a faceless groom standing beside Katara.

 _Stop it. It's just a crush. Get over it._

"What?" Katara asks him innocently, and Zuko fights the urge to slap a hand to his forehead.

"Nothing," he says quickly. He looks around for anything— _anything—_ that doesn't involve weddings. "Um. Where are we going?"

"Suki and Sokka practically shoved me out of the apartment to get snacks," Katara replies, tugging on a wayward lock of hair that snuck out of her loose braid. Zuko clenches his fist in his pocket so he doesn't reach out and tuck it behind her ear. She continues, "I don't know what they're up to, but I'm hungry, so I am not complaining. Aren't you hungry?"

"A bit," he agrees, before realizing that Katara is leading him to a cafe. "I— I thought we were just going to the convenience store."

"Well, I'm sick of convenience store food," retorts Katara. "It's your fault, you know— if you hadn't spoiled me with Gran-Gran's stew, I would still have a taste for microwaved pizza rolls."

Warmth blooms in his chest at her casual mention of his cooking. He shakes his head and tamps it down— it's only because no one could resist her grandmother's stew, he tells himself.

"Do you still have a taste for energy drinks and coffee combined?" He asks dryly instead, and Katara rolls her eyes in response.

"I'll have you know that I've switched to black tea," she tells him, and some of the worry unknots in Zuko's chest.

"How did that happen?" He asks her, secretly hoping against hope that it is because of him that she's finally stopped endangering her health.

"Iroh gave me _boxes_ of the stuff during the party and warned Kiyi not to follow my bad habits," she scrunches her face in distaste and Zuko couldn't help but laugh a little at her expression.

"Drinking coffee is like committing sacrilege in Uncle's book," he tells her, opening the door of the cafe for them. Katara sighs longingly as the smell of roasting coffee beans hits them.

"You won't tell your uncle if I have one cup of cappuccino, will you? I want to stay in Iroh's good graces," she asks him in a pleading tone as she sits down and picks up a menu.

Zuko fights back the stupid smile forming in his lips.

"Only if you don't tell anyone that I don't take my coffee black," he replies, sitting across her in the tiny table.

"Huh, I always pegged you as the ultimate endorser of black coffee," she laughs and drags her chair forward; their knees bump beneath the table, but Zuko couldn't be convinced to move away. "How _do_ you like your coffee, Zuko?"

This isn't at all the first time she said his name, but it sends shivers up his spine, anyway.

"I like lattes with those little drawings in them," he finds himself admitting.

Katara's eyes light up in amusement and she covers her mouth with her hand as she giggles and Zuko is seized by the mad urge to burst out laughing as well.

"Oh my god," she gasps, still laughing into her hands, "You're such a dork."

"I'm not sure I like the change from 'you're such a jerk' to 'you're such a dork,'" Zuko pretends to be affronted, though the Katara-riddled part of his brain is memorizing how her eyes sparkle in the dim lighting of the cafe.

"Oh gosh, does Toph know?" Katara asks mischievously.

"No one knows," he confesses. "It's not like I can just whip up latte art. I can't even make a decent cup of coffee."

"Wow, thank you for entrusting me with such an important secret; I'm so honored," says Katara cheekily. "So, what do you want with your precious latte?"

"They have croissants," Zuko comments in surprise after a brief scan of the menu.

"Croissants," Katara repeats in an affected accent and rolls her eyes to the ceiling. "Ugh. You're so bougie."

"Well, what are _you_ getting?" He asks her challengingly, raising one eyebrow. "They don't have _sea prunes_ on the menu."

She gasps in mock indignation and slaps his arm with her menu. Zuko chuckles in spite of himself.

"Oh, don't worry, I have enough kumquats to last me through the long, harsh winter," she teases him with a smirk. "Too bad you didn't save some for yourself."

"I could just come over when I'm craving them," Zuko replies without thinking.

Katara's eyes widen in surprise and Zuko mentally kicks himself.

 _Was that too forward? What the hell's gotten into me?_

He opens his mouth to retract his statement, but Katara's stunned look melts and she smiles softly at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"You can come by whenever you want, you know," she informs him, lightly touching his hand for a moment. Zuko's breath catches in his throat. "The whole gang does it all the time. Besides, who knows how many times _I've_ dropped by your place without permission."

Zuko clears his throat and nods, trying to tear his brain away from the lingering feeling of her touch.

"Good to know," he mutters lamely. Katara goes back to perusing her menu.

"I think I'll have the jelly doughnuts," she announces before standing up. "I'm gonna go place our order."

"I can do that—"

"Oh, no, you stay right here," she tells him sternly. "Save our seats."

"O-okay."

She hovers for a second longer before taking a deep breath and mumbling something as she exhales.

Zuko immediately knows it is one of those times when she's thinking out loud, and he immediately wishes he didn't hear what she just said.

 _"Not a date."_

He watches her get in line before burying his head in his hands as soon as she has her back turned.

Liking Katara is proving to be much more agonizing than he anticipated. It's not enough that he _knows_ she wouldn't ever like him back, given how they started and how he keeps messing things up; he also has to listen to her remind herself that there's nothing _remotely_ romantic about any of their interactions.

 _I think I used up all my luck trying to win her trust back._

* * *

 _It's not a date. It is_ not _a date._

Just because they are eating at a cute little cafe together doesn't mean it's a date. They're just _friends_ hanging out and taking a break from their other friends.

Or so Katara tells herself.

 _This is like Ember Island all over again._

She presses her palm to her face and groans, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks.

Her memories of Ember Island come in a variety of extreme emotions, but every other time she looks at Zuko after forgiving him, her mind feels the need to highlight the time they'd spent alone in the kitchen of their cottage. She could still remember the way his scarred cheek felt against her lips, could still recall the irresistible magnetic pull between them, the way his eyes darkened and the way he licked his lips.

 _The only difference between now and Ember Island is that he's single now,_ a sly voice in her mind whispers traitorously.

Katara clenches her jaw and straightens her shoulders.

 _No,_ she firmly tells herself, _That's not appropriate. He just got dumped by Jin, and if what Kiyi and Toph said were true, he's still pretty broken-hearted about it. So, no._

 _And we're just friends,_ she adds, as if she knew her brain is about to overanalyze a memory to make her think that she and Zuko _could_ be more than friends.

 _Yeah, keep telling yourself that while you play footsie under the table,_ says a voice in her head that sounds very much like Toph. Katara almost outwardly shushes the voice and its insinuations.

She thanks her lucky stars when she finally reaches the counter and places their order— waiting for her name to be called gives her something else to dwell on.

Her phone buzzes just as the barista calls her name. She balances the tray on one hand— it seems like her muscle memory from waitressing hasn't disappeared— and unlocks her phone with the other. She frowns at the message as she sets down the tray.

"What's wrong?" asks Zuko, unloading their plates and setting the now-empty tray in an unoccupied table nearby. Katara sighs and massages her forehead with her fingers.

"Seems like flu season is starting," she informs him with a beleaguered sigh. She takes a deep breath and types out a reply to Principal Yugoda before pocketing her phone. "I mean, it's not like I have my lesson plan set in stone, but it does suck to have half the class call in sick."

"It's a good thing _you_ don't catch the flu, too," comments Zuko. Katara laughs and shakes her head.

"Oh, no, no, no. I _always_ catch the flu. Doesn't matter that I get my flu shots yearly or that I build up my immune system— being around twenty kids during flu season just means I'm gonna get it, period."

"That's horrible," says Zuko, concern evident in his eyes before he breaks eye contact and looks down at his latte.

"Well, I just hope I catch it early enough so I can get to my finals," she tries to joke, but Zuko frowns at her disapprovingly.

"Why don't you—" he begins, then clears his throat. "Never mind."

"Why don't I what?" she presses, taking a bite out of her doughnut.

Some of the jelly gets on her fingers and she automatically sucks on them, only to stop at the look on Zuko's face.

 _That look should be illegal._

Liquid heat pools at the bottom of Katara's stomach, making her toes curl and her breath catch and her pulse race.

It doesn't help that she only now realized that one of Zuko's knees is wedged between hers.

She immediately slides her chair backwards, just enough to create some room for her to move away and clamp her thighs together; she fumbles with the napkin and wipes her fingers self-consciously.

Zuko coughs and she looks up to find him still looking at her the same way, although the look is somewhat tempered by something akin to embarrassment.

"You still have—" he starts, pointing at his own cheek. "You have powdered sugar on your— on your lips."

Katara mirrors his movements, dabbing her napkin at the corner of her mouth.

"Did I get it?"

"No."

He reaches out, almost in a trance-like state, and Katara's breathing stills in anticipation.

His thumb caresses the corner of her lips— once, twice— then he lingers there for a heartbeat, his fingers settling comfortably against the apple of her cheek and the line of her jaw.

Katara watches as his gaze shifts from her lips to her eyes, his fingers curling ever so slightly as she leans slightly into his palm. His hand shakes as he moves to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

Then he slowly slides his knuckles down the slope of her neck. Katara jumps at the electric sensation— whatever heat his gaze had started inside her is now a blazing wildfire throughout her entire body.

She almost screams when he pulls his hand away.

"Sorry," he mumbles, and Katara feels like tearing her hair out because what in the _world_ is he sorry for and why couldn't he just _continue_ what he was doing?

She tries to keep her heartbeat under control.

"It's alright," she manages to reply breathily, a little crestfallen that he is, once again, looking at anything else but her. She coughs to clear her throat, but her next words still come out a little squeaky. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

"It's you," Zuko replies almost instantly that Katara takes a moment to process his words.

"What?"

"What?!" He asks, as though he just now realized what he said. His eyes widen comically and nearly sends his croissant to the floor with his panicked gesturing. "I-I meant it's not hot in here! I'm not hot, you're the only one who's hot!"

Katara couldn't help it— she bursts out laughing a bit hysterically.

"Oh, wow, we really can't eat together at some place without it turning awkward, huh?" she teases him, glad for the disgruntled frown on his face, because she needs every incentive not to grab him and— and— and do things to him that are _most definitely_ _not_ in the friendship category.

He mumbles something under his breath— Katara could only make out, _"Always awkward anyway,"_ and it makes her grin because this must be how he feels whenever he hears her talking to herself.

"You know I can hear you, right?" she asks playfully, but Zuko's face pales and he freezes in his seat. It takes him a moment to open his mouth— Katara could see his jaw working, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallows.

"J-just now, or all the other times, too?" He asks, picking apart his croissant without even eating it. Katara tilts her head in confusion.

"What do you mean, all the other times?"

His relief is so palpable that Katara's jaw drops in realization.

"Zuko, have you been _thinking out loud_ recently?" She giggles, unable to fight the glee bubbling up inside her. She blames it on the coffee that she's barely taken a sip of. "Finally, the tables have turned!"

Zuko blushes furiously.

"No, they haven't!" He insists in an almost-whine, making Katara laugh harder. He crosses his arms and narrows her eyes at her. "Whatever. I'm still better at knowing when _you_ think out loud."

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, big guy," Katara responds impishly, emboldened by the challenge in his eyes.

He starts to answer, but then he pulls out his phone at the same time Katara feels hers vibrate in her pocket. She fishes it out and sees a group text from her brother.

"I guess we can go home now, then," Zuko says, frowning at his phone.

Katara taps open the message— apparently Sokka and Suki have postponed finalizing the catering list until tomorrow afternoon. She sighs.

"Ugh, I _knew_ they were planning something," she mutters.

She doesn't miss the way Zuko's lips quirk up.

"Are you talking to yourself?" He asks with a smirk. Katara sticks her tongue out at him and takes a sip of her coffee.

 _"No,"_ she replies firmly. "Don't get cocky, Sparky."

"Well, seeing as I have more practice than you…" he shrugs, almost carelessly, but Katara could see the twist in his lips that means he's fighting off a smile.

"Oh, I'm a fast learner, Zuko," she tells him. "Just wait and see."

He smiles at her fully this time, and it sends shivers down her spine.

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

 **A/N:** Mutual pining is in the air! Gosh, this story just can't stop writing itself. I'm giving it way too much attention, but I don't care! See you in the next chapter, cheers!


	27. Cake Tasting

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 27: Cake Tasting**

Uncle Iroh always tells him that destiny is a funny thing.

Zuko supposes it's true— he'd grown up thinking he would be working for the family business; then, for a brief period, he thought he would be _in charge_ of the business after all; then, by some twist of fate, he finds himself working in a tea shop, falling so low from what he expected his life to be; and now, well—

Now, he is being talked down to by some douchebag with shiny shoes and a pressed suit, actually _demanding_ a _sample_ of every single brew they have. Zuko wonders if he was this pretentious back in First Sozin, and if so, he wondered how many food industry workers resisted the urge to clock him in the face for being such an ass.

He vaguely remembers complaining about the rareness of his steak during his blind date with Katara and inwardly winces.

Fingers snap repeatedly in front of his nose and he resists the urge to glower at the aforementioned douchebag.

"Hey, hey, pay attention," he commands. Zuko clenches his notepad in an effort to stay calm. "I want lemongrass tea with _just_ a hint of ginger and two tablespoons of honey. Make it warm, not scalding hot. Got that? Huh?"

Zuko nods, listing his instructions on his pad, putting all his efforts into not scowling. He debates whether he should get the order wrong, but no— he can't do that to Uncle.

He pins the order up by the serving window and Iroh peers at it curiously.

"Nephew, why is this labeled 'Douchebag Table?'" he asks amusedly. Zuko just glares at him and snaps up a rag to wipe up a recently vacated booth. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Iroh taking the order to Douchebag himself.

But then Douchebag makes a disgusted face and starts berating his uncle— and empties his tea cup on the table and onto Uncle's feet.

Zuko appears by his uncle's side in a flash and before he knows what he is doing, he grabs the man by his collar.

"Get. Out." He growls. _"Now."_

"Zuko!" Iroh's grip on his wrist makes him release the bastard before he could throw him out of the shop. His uncle fixes him a stern look before turning and apologizing profusely to the man and promising him an order on the house.

Douchebag stands up and leaves anyway _._

 _Good riddance,_ Zuko thinks, but Uncle doesn't give him a chance to dwell on his anger; he's already whisking him to the back room, smiling sheepishly at the other patrons as he does so.

"That was very disappointing, Zuko," he tells him the minute they duck into the kitchen.

"He was an asshole! He _disrespected_ you," Zuko spits out frustratedly, "And you _apologized_ to him!"

"Ah. Yes," says Iroh calmly. "But one must know when to use the shield and when to wield the sword, my nephew."

"I'd like to run him with a sword," mutters Zuko darkly.

"Then this must be a humbling experience for you," his uncle says shrewdly. "After all, you had encountered the same pitfalls of character before."

"I— I was _never_ as bad as that guy!" Zuko sputters. "The worst I did was return a meal!"

"True," concedes Iroh, "But do you think you would have changed your manners if you were thrown out of the restaurant?"

Zuko runs a hand down his face angrily. His uncle smiles faintly and pushes the mop into his hands.

"Go on," he urges with a smile. "We wouldn't want anyone tripping on that puddle!"

* * *

The douchebag returns the next day with a smug smirk on his face, demanding his free food from Zuko with an air of pompousness that rivaled the attitude of monarchs in the Earth Kingdom.

Uncle steps in and takes his order this time, prepares it with as much care as he does with his other patrons' orders, then serves it to him with enough charm to convince two warring nations to make peace.

Zuko decides to leave it all up to his uncle— he's definitely not complaining that he doesn't have to deal with that pile of dung— and he is in the process of clearing a table vacated by a family of four when he hears the door tinkle open and turns to see Katara and Ty Lee.

All the strength leaves his arms and he has to drop his loaded tray on the table to stop himself from breaking his uncle's precious tea sets. He studiously wipes the tabletop, pretending he hasn't seen them come in.

He jumps and bumps into the tray when someone pokes his side with a finger. He whirls around to see Katara stifling a giggle.

"I could have broken all of these plates, you know," he admonishes her sourly, but she just rolls her eyes.

"You _knew_ we were coming here, Zuko," she tells him with a raised brow. "Are we going, or what?"

"Going… where?" Zuko asks suspiciously, eyes flicking to his uncle, who is still chatting with the douchebag.

Ty Lee appears at Katara's side, hands clasped to her chest excitedly.

"Cake tasting!" She trills happily. "Suki said I should come to represent vegans."

"Oh," says Zuko, dumbfounded. "I didn't know that was today."

"I texted you about it," Katara replies in confusion. She whips out her phone and pulls up her messaging app. "See? You replied, 'That would be lovely, Katara!' A bit weird, to be honest, but I just thought you were drunk with Toph. Clearly not, though."

Zuko slaps a hand to his forehead.

"Uncle," Zuko mutters darkly, before explaining his situation. "He took my phone to get me to socialize better with the customers— and because I picked a fight with one of them."

"What are you, an angsty teenager?" teases Katara.

"He was being an ass!" Zuko exclaims defensively.

"Well, whatever. It seems like Iroh approves of you coming with us for cake tasting," says Katara, hand on her hip. "C'mon, we're gonna be late. Stop picking fights with customers and get out of that apron already."

Toph's voice in his head suggests a comeback about making _her_ take his clothes off, and he coughs and shoves it to the back of his mind.

"Zuko? Are you okay?" Ty Lee asks. "Your aura's all red and tingly."

Zuko ignores her and hefts the tray to the back room. Then he takes out his uncle's step stool and rummages through the upper shelves for his phone.

"Zuko! What are you looking for, nephew?" Iroh stands in the doorway, a wry smile on his face. Zuko looks at him flatly as he steps down from the stool with his cobwebby phone.

"You read and replied to my messages, Uncle," he crosses his arms and frowns at him. Iroh's eyes widen in mock innocence.

"Oh, I did not know I did that! You know how I am with technology," he grins hugely and shrugs. "But if you have some important business to attend to—"

Zuko presses his hand to his face and shakes his head.

"I'm only going with this because I don't want to deal with the douchebag," he tells Iroh firmly as he ducked back into the tea shop.

"Of course, my boy!" Iroh hurries after him, calling out for the whole restaurant to hear, "Have fun planning the wedding with Miss Katara!"

"Uncle!"

He looks around, scandalized, only to find Katara looking as mortified as he does. He grimaces and stalks out of the shop without looking at her.

It's only when they're a safe distance away that Katara catches him by the elbow and tells him that they would have to take a cab.

He nods and she lets him go. He glances at Ty Lee before apologizing to Katara in a low voice.

"I'm sorry about— about Uncle," he says with a wince. "He likes to… meddle."

"Oh, it's okay. I think it's sweet he's concerned enough about you to play matchmaker." Katara clears her throat and fiddles with the handle of her bag, not meeting his eyes. "Too bad I'm the only single girl he knows, huh? Otherwise you might actually find someone to date."

Zuko's heart falls to his feet and splinters on the sidewalk.

"Oh," he finds himself saying mechanically, "Yeah."

Katara still refuses to look at him and he gratefully sits up front in the cab that Ty Lee hailed. He lets out the breath he didn't know he was holding and closes his eyes tightly.

He would call himself heartbroken, but right now, there's a hole where his heart should be.

* * *

She'd meant it as a joke.

And, if Katara were being completely honest, she also wanted to distance herself from Iroh's 'meddling.'

It was one thing if strangers mistook her and Zuko as a couple; it is another thing when your (recently dumped) friend's closest relative thinks you two should be together. It's just too much pressure, especially when she knows that there should be _no_ romance between them.

But when they arrive in the bakery, Zuko is acting as brooding and closed-off as he was when he first met them, and Katara wonders if she somehow offended him— maybe he thought she implied that he couldn't get a girlfriend without Iroh's help? Maybe he was just mad at his uncle for invading his privacy? Maybe it was a whole other thing, Katara doesn't know, and she can't concentrate on it right now because there's an addition to their party that she didn't expect.

"Aang?"

Her ex sets down the custard cake he is eating and waves them cheerily to the table.

"Katara! Hey!" He practically flies to his feet and engulfs her in a hug. She's barely recovered from the breezy greeting before Aang is merrily welcoming Ty Lee and Zuko.

"Hi! You're Ty Lee, right?" He asks, dragging more chairs around the spindly metal table. "Oh! And you're Toph's roommate— Zuko, did I get that right? We all met at Sokka and Suki's engagement party!"

"Speaking of Sokka and Suki…" Katara interrupts, knowing Aang's tendency to get sidetracked. "They asked us to meet them here. Are they around?"

"Oh! Right!" Aang laughs bemusedly, scratching the back of his head. "They went to the back with the owner— Sokka wanted to see how she makes her fondant designs."

"Ooh, I _love_ watching videos of those!" says Ty Lee while they all settle down around the small table. As Aang and Ty Lee prattle on about the various amateur baking shows they watch, Katara drags her chair closer to Zuko's.

"Hey, um—" she starts, but then she's met with his burning gaze and she stumbles on her words of apology and comfort. She averts her eyes and smooths her skirt out instead. "Are— are you okay?"

She sees his fists clench beneath the table before he replies.

"Of course," he says coolly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She briefly wonders if this was how he felt when she was freezing him out.

It hurts.

"It's just— it's just that—" she takes a deep breath and tucks her hair behind her ear nervously. "Look, what I said before—"

"It's okay," he interrupts curtly. "I get it."

His short answers grate on her nerves and she bites the inside of her cheek.

"I'm not sure you do," she tries to say calmly, but her temper is starting to simmer and it makes looking him in the eyes so much easier. "I don't know what you thought I meant by what I said, but if you can't tell me what it is I did that bothered you, then we're not gonna fix this."

"What's there to fix?" He responds with as much heat, his eyebrow raised in challenge.

"This!" She exclaims, motioning between them. "You're acting all cold and closed-off again, you're angry and I don't know why, but if I caused it somehow then the least you could do is tell me what I did wrong!"

Silence descends between them for a few moments and Katara just became aware that Aang and Ty Lee are no longer talking, but she can't bring herself to care anymore because she just wants Zuko to stop avoiding her and acting like he doesn't want anything to do with her.

Zuko sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Look, Katara…" he starts, not looking at her, "You can't solve everyone's problems, okay?"

She clenches her jaw obstinately.

"You still didn't say if it was my fault or not," she mutters irritably. Zuko tenses beside her.

"It doesn't matter," he says in a low voice. "I just need some time to... to sort things out."

The way he says it sounds like he has a death sentence looming over him, and Katara couldn't help it— she reaches out under the table and places her hand on his clenched fist.

After a few heartbeats, his hand loosens along with his posture and when he flips over his palm and squeezes her hand, Katara breathes a sigh of relief.

Aang clears his throat across from them and Katara snatches her hand back and forces herself to make small talk with the rest of the group until Sokka and Suki arrive.

* * *

"I can't believe this is vegan!" exclaims Ty Lee happily, and the matronly owner of the shop, Aunt Wu, smiles at her warmly.

"The secret is adding a little lemon juice to the soy milk," she discloses with a wink. "It curdles it slightly and gives it a buttermilk texture."

A brief look of surprised disgust passes over Sokka's face before Suki kicks him under the table.

"It _is_ wonderfully moist and fluffy," she says.

Sokka nods, licking at the corners of his mouth where crumbs of another vegan cake remain.

"Yeah, but I still can't decide between chocolate raspberry and red velvet and salted caramel and lemon and summer berry—"

"You liked everything Aunt Wu had us taste!" Suki exclaims exasperatedly. "I think we have to ban you from making decisions at this point."

Sokka starts to protest, but Aang swiftly cuts in before any conflict arises.

"Here's an idea," Aang says, "Why don't Katara, Ty Lee, Zuko, and I pick our favorite ones, then you and Suki pick from those?"

Suki and Sokka exchange looks— Suki raises her eyebrows expectantly and Sokka sighs and nods reluctantly.

"Alright," Aang grins at them all and points to the half-eaten slice of chocolate raspberry cake. "I like that one 'cause you get two flavors _and_ it's vegan!"

"I like the salted caramel," Ty Lee says, daintily picking up crumbs off the table with her finger. "Sweet and salty is always a good combo."

"I like the lemon one," says Zuko, not offering an explanation.

"Me too," agrees Katara. Sokka stares at her with a look of betrayal.

"What? You don't like the chocolate one?" Sokka asks skeptically. "You used to stuff your face with that!"

"Well, just because I liked it before doesn't mean I like it now!" exclaims Katara. She bites her lip, suddenly flustered at her turn of phrase. "It's just a little too sweet for me, okay? I think I want something more balanced now."

"Like the lemon cake," adds Zuko, nodding.

"Yeah," Katara says earnestly. "It's not as overpowering as chocolate raspberry, and— well, no offense, Ty Lee, but I just don't think salted caramel is very wedding cake-y."

"Why don't we just have, like, a three-tiered cake with different flavors in each level?" whines Sokka. Suki rolls her eyes.

"We are _not_ doing that," she tells him firmly.

"Well, my dears, you might be happy to know that we also do vegan cupcake stands if you cannot decide on one flavor," Aunt Wu deftly swoops in. "You can have a variety of flavors while saving the most special one for your wedding cake."

"The problem is which flavor is the 'special' one," Suki sighs. "I kinda like the lemon one, too— it's refreshing, and it sorta reminds me of spring, y'know?" She casts Sokka a sidelong glance. "Plus, it would go great with that buttercream frosting you love."

Sokka pouts, staring longingly at the cakes scattered on the table, before sighing and rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Cupcakes _are_ just tiny cakes," he mutters. "And that buttercream frosting _is_ a little too delicate for the chocolate raspberry one, so…"

"Is that a yes?" asks Suki wryly.

"Yeah!" Sokka grins and plants a chocolatey kiss on the side of Suki's head. Suki laughs tiredly and shakes her head while skimming through Aunt Wu's book of cake designs.

"I think we'd have to decide on the design some other time, Aunt Wu," she says apologetically, packing up her stuff. "I have to get my wedding dress altered and the tailor's all the way across town, and I'm feeling way too bloated already."

"Oh, do you need help with your dress?" asks Katara.

"No, that's okay, my mom and aunt flew in yesterday just for the fitting," says Suki, waving her off with a smile. "Thanks for coming, though, you guys. We really appreciate it."

While she and Sokka finalize details of their next visit with Aunt Wu, Aang approaches Katara hesitantly.

"Hey, Katara," he starts with a smile, scratching the back of his head, "Wanna go get coffee sometime? I'm in town for a few days, it'll be nice to catch up."

"Oh," says Katara, pondering on his offer. When they first broke up, Aang had often asked her out to try and talk her out of her decision, leading up to the point where Katara's constant avoidance was the only way to make the breakup stick.

 _But that was ages ago. It might be nice to catch up as friends._

"Y'know what? Sure," says Katara, smiling back at him. "Just text me when, I haven't changed my number."

"Uh, well, if you're free, how 'bout now?" Aang sweeps his arms out at the bakery. "We're in a great pastry shop that has great custard cakes and even greater cappuccinos."

"I actually switched to black tea," Katara replies absently, glancing at Zuko and Ty Lee, who are waiting by the entrance. "Um, we should probably let them know, though."

"Oh, sure!" agrees Aang. "You go do that and I'll go grab us a table!"

Katara starts to argue that they should _both_ tell the others that they're hanging back, but she just sighs in resignation as Aang collects her things and transfers them to a more private table near the bakery's huge glass windows.

She tells the others to go on without her— she doesn't miss Zuko's pinched features and wonders, yet again, what is bothering him— and comes back to a table filled with custard cakes and a steaming mug of black tea for each of them. She takes a deep breath before sitting down.

"So, Aang," she begins, "What's new with you?"

"I'm doing great!" he declares, mouth full of custard. "I just came back from the North Pole, did you know?"

"Oh, how's everyone?" asks Katara earnestly. "Did you meet with Chief Arnook?"

"Yep! They were having trouble with some Northern Water Tribe clan wars, so me and Kuruk stepped in. Oh, and I saw Pakku!" He tells her. "He told me he was coming here for winter break. Said the North's climate was bad for his back."

"I bet. Gran-Gran was complaining about the same thing when she told us they're coming," says Katara, sipping her tea. She frowns as she sets her mug down. "I won't be able to see them until the wedding, though. I have my finals right before the holidays."

"Finals?" Aang tilts his head in question, eyes wide. "You give your kids _final exams?"_

Katara laughs at that.

"No, no!" She shakes her head bemusedly. "I'm in grad school now— Early Childhood Education."

"Oh, wow!" Aang's eyes crinkle as he beams at her. He takes her hands in his and grasps them excitedly. "I'm so proud of you, Katara! That's so awesome! You must be having so much fun, being back in school!"

"It's a _lot_ of work, too, Aang," she smiles ruefully.

"But if there's anyone who can do it, it's you!" Aang says eagerly, shaking their clasped hands. "You can do anything you set your mind to— you're Katara!"

Katara's smile freezes a little in her face and she slowly pulls out her hands from Aang's.

 _Now I remember why we broke up._

"Thanks for the support, Aang," she says with little heart in it.

"Of course!"

He grins happily at her and clinks his mug with hers, and Katara couldn't help but think that he still doesn't understand why she broke up with him in the first place.

It wasn't just that he couldn't stomach her culture's hunting rituals or that he often took trips that kept him away from her for months at a time or even the fact that his dream of the future was completely incompatible with hers; it was _this—_ his constant belief that no matter what happens, no matter what she does, she would always be "perfect Katara," with no room for errors or mistakes or failures, no room to get tired of things, no room to get discouraged and no room to question herself.

But that also meant there was no room to grow.

"What brings you to town so suddenly, anyway?" She asks, pushing her melancholy thoughts away. She would deal with those later, preferably with alcohol and with Toph. "We weren't expecting you until Sokka's vegetarian bachelor party."

"Oh!" Aang's eyes sparkle with mischief. "It's a secret."

"Look at you, getting all mysterious," teases Katara. "Is it a good secret, or a bad one?"

"It's definitely, definitely good!" exclaims Aang, before deflating a bit and tracing the lip of his mug with one finger. "Well, it's mostly good. I'm nervous about the other stuff, but I'm sure it would work out!"

"Well, it's nice that you're so optimistic about it," says Katara, coaxing a smile out of him. "Does that mean we'll see you more often now?"

"I hope so," he says, smiling thinly. "Yangchen says I would have to be around while it's being set up, so even if I'm here, I might not be able to hang out as much."

"That's okay, Aang," Katara says reassuringly. "But you better tell _all_ of us next time! I was so surprised to see you here earlier."

Aang laughs sheepishly.

"Yeah, Sokka said it would be fun to see how you'd react. Too bad he was in the back when you came in."

"Sokka needs a hobby." Katara purses her lips and rolls her eyes at her brother's plans. "You'd think with all the wedding plans, he'd run out of time to mess with me, but _nooo."_

"Oh, what did he do?" asks Aang, intrigued.

Katara pauses. Ever since they picked out their color scheme, she'd noticed that Sokka and Suki often left her and Zuko alone— they'd ended up picking out the save the date cards together, setting up the registry together, talking to prospective bands together. Katara had chalked it up to their conflicting schedules— Sokka and Suki are often called into work during weekends— but the more the couple pushed, the more Katara suspects them of an ulterior motive.

And it's not as if Zuko is bad company. He certainly has better taste than Sokka, and she found that, despite constantly bickering about their choices, she actually has fun doing menial things with him.

She doesn't know how to broach the topic with Aang, though— not that she's hiding anything, no, but… well, she just doesn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"He and Suki just keep having me do all their wedding planning for them, that's all," she lies, knowing that Aang wouldn't be able to call her out on it. "Sokka's only free for the parts where we have to eat."

"He'll be free for the tux fitting, though, I can tell you that," Aang says, laughing. "Oh! And he's probably real excited about the party favors— remember how he used to have those at every birthday he had back in high school?"

"He _does_ love to shop," giggles Katara, letting herself relax as their conversation turns to reminiscing the past.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was supposed to be a _way, waaaay_ longer chapter (nearing 8k, mind you), but the drama just kept unfolding and before I knew it the characters have gone off-script and messed up the timeline, so I had to cut this one short. Do other fic writers' characters surprise them like this or am I just crazy? Lol. Let's hope I work out the kinks soon, because the next chapter is loaded af. Cheers!


	28. Fittings

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 28: Fittings**

Zuko has just stepped out of the shower when there is a knock on the door of his apartment.

He sighs and wraps a towel around his middle— Toph has the annoying habit of forgetting her keys, but he supposes he shouldn't blame a blind girl for forgetting that keys existed.

"Just a sec!" He calls out as the knocks get persistent. He slings another towel over his shoulders and dries his hair with it as he makes his way across the living room and unlocks the door irritably.

"Toph, I _told_ you, if you just kept your keys in one place—"

"Oh!"

Zuko nearly stumbles backwards as he's met with Katara's wide-eyed stare.

They both blink at each other for a few stunned moments before they both become aware of Zuko's state of undress and blush beet red.

"Sorry! I thought you were Toph!" They exclaim at the same time, and Zuko hurriedly retreats farther back into the living room— and almost falls into the balcony— as Katara remains rooted on the spot, still blushing and covering her face.

"S-so Toph's not around?" She asks in a high, squeaky voice, not looking at him. Zuko shakes his head frantically before realizing that she couldn't see him.

"No— she, Ty Lee— out. Anniversary," he says with little to no coherence.

"Oh," Katara groans into her hands and mutters to herself, "Dammit."

"What's—" Zuko clears his sandpaper-dry throat. "What's, uh— up?"

"I just—" she lowers her hands from her face only to wring them nervously. "I needed to… drink and vent, I guess."

"Y-you can— you can do that with me, too," offers Zuko, his heart hammering in his chest— _what if she rejects me again?_

 _It shouldn't matter,_ he argues silently. _You should be there for her, like she did for you._

"If— if it's alright..." she starts to say, but then her gaze slowly runs down his naked torso and Zuko feels heat pool in his stomach as she bites her lip and tugs on her hair; he knows he shouldn't feel gratified by the way her cheeks redden, but he does, and his heart beats double-time when she meets his eyes again.

The entire span of the living room is between them, but the air has never been thicker.

Katara clears her throat.

"Wanna put some clothes on first?" She laughs shakily, and Zuko doesn't know what possesses him, but it makes him bold enough to raise an eyebrow at her and lean awkwardly on the cold balcony door.

"What, you don't like what you see?" He asks, smirking when she blushes again and crosses her arms.

"I didn't ask for a show, but hey, it's the middle of winter and if you wanna freeze to death, that's fine by me," she says haughtily, and somewhere in the back of Zuko's head, he cheers because she didn't _technically_ tell him that she found him unattractive, and maybe, just _maybe,_ there is hope for him after all.

So he waves her in and gets dressed in his room in record time, and when he comes out he finds her sitting on a kitchen stool with two bottles of cold beer from their fridge already on the counter.

He opens one of them for her, unasked, and tries not to let his hand shake when their fingers brush against each other when he passes her the bottle. He sits down on the stool beside her and pops open his beer.

"You said you… wanted to vent," he begins. Katara groans and takes a sip of her beer.

"It's just— Aang," she says, as though it explains everything, and Zuko's heart falls again at the mention of her ex.

 _Welcome to the friendzone, Sparky,_ Toph's voice cackles in his head.

"I'm not sure he understands why we broke up," Katara continues, oblivious to his dejection. She scratches at her beer label agitatedly. "I told him about grad school, and while I _am_ glad that he thinks I'd do great, it just kinda… sucks, I guess."

"It sucks because… you have an ex who is still your friend and believes in your abilities?" asks Zuko, brows furrowing. Katara sighs and plants a hand on her forehead.

"I know it sounds stupid—"

"You don't say."

She glares at him from the corner of her eye before taking another swig from her bottle, resembling her brother so much that Zuko has to hide his amusement behind his bottle.

"What I mean is— ugh!" She throws her hands up in frustration. "This would be so much better with Toph!"

"Luckily, the guy you settled for can't hear you," Zuko mutters sarcastically.

Katara blows her hair out of her face.

"No, that's not what I meant, Zuko," she says apologetically. "It's just— Toph understands this because of how her parents treated her before she… ran away. I'm not sure if… I'm not sure if you'll get it. I'm sorry."

Zuko studies her for a moment as he takes a sip from his bottle. She turns away and drinks her beer.

"Okay," he says, coming to a conclusion. Katara looks at him with her eyebrows raised in question. He takes a deep breath and shrugs self-consciously. "Okay. I might not understand what the problem is, but— you said you wanted to vent. So— um, even if I won't get it, just… just vent."

Her face breaks into a soft, sparkling smile and the weight on Zuko's chest lightens.

"Thanks, Zuko," she says, covering his hand with hers. Zuko just nods, not trusting his voice. Katara sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Okay. Here goes, I guess.

"One of the main reasons I broke up with Aang— and there were plenty— was because he always put me on a pedestal."

She smiles wanly.

"I admit, when I was younger, I kinda liked the attention, but I was just a kid back then, and the longer we stayed together, the more I realized it wasn't healthy— it's like he only saw the good side of me, like I could do no wrong, and that's just— that's just asking too much of me. I _have_ to fail sometimes, I _have_ to have doubts about myself, I _have_ to have flaws and I _do_ have flaws and I _want_ to have them because I want to work on being better! I can't just stay the same way my whole life, like he expected me to! I was growing up, and I thought he would grow up with me, but he still acted pretty much how he did back in high school, and it just wasn't _right._ Our arguments never got resolved because he wouldn't call me out on my issues and he acts as though ignoring them would just make them go away! Then the problems would come up _again_ and he'd avoid talking about them _again_ and nothing _ever_ gets fixed!"

Zuko stares at her in sudden realization.

 _Was that why she was so insistent on talking about my problems earlier? Was that why she kept asking if it was her fault?_

He holds his tongue, though, because this is about _her_ and not about what happened between them earlier.

Katara takes a long gulp from her bottle and continues harriedly.

"Now he's back all of a sudden and it shouldn't piss me off, but it does, and when I told him about grad school, I realized he mustn't have learned anything from our breakup because he still thinks I won't encounter any problems along the way and that I'd still do everything perfectly! It feels like he's invalidating all my efforts and all the hard work I put into studying!"

She presses her fingers to her temple with a huff.

"I know it sounds weird, but I take pride in working hard— it's how my family survived all those years after Mom died; it's how _I_ survived in Northern when every professor was against me. But Aang— yes, well, he _had_ a hard life, but things just come _easy_ for him. He makes friends wherever he goes, he gets promoted easily at every job he has, he was even favored by professors back in college. So when he tells me I'd do well in whatever it is I'm doing, I feel like he doesn't quite grasp the _effort_ I put in.

"I guess being around him again dug up those feelings of resentment— it's not like he was unpleasant when we talked earlier, and he didn't try to get back together with me, which was a relief—"

Zuko's hand tightens around his beer bottle in surprise.

 _They're not getting back together._

"—but I'm still pretty annoyed that he just _assumed_ grad school was all fun and games, because it _would_ be like that for him if he ever decides to go back to school. We never even got to talk about it, too, because he just automatically thought that I'm doing well, and that was another problem when we were together— he kept assuming that I was okay, that I was happy just because _he_ was happy.

"Don't get me wrong; I greatly admire Aang's optimism, and he's gotten all of us through tough times because he just refused to let anything dampen his spirits. But sometimes it just gets too much, you know?"

She shrugs, a careless, casual gesture, but Zuko could see the slump in her shoulders and the wrinkle in her brow.

"I guess I just got reminded of how we acted back when we were together," she murmurs, tracing the pool of condensation on the countertop with her finger. "I thought I'd made myself clear when I broke up with him, but maybe I was still too afraid to hurt him too much that I didn't discuss things more openly with him."

She laughs bitterly.

"Maybe that's why he kept trying to get back together with me before," she mulls. "And I didn't have the heart to reject him outright, so I just avoided him until he took the hint."

Katara sighs and finishes her beer in silence, then leans her head on Zuko's shoulder.

Zuko freezes at the contact. His heart hammers so wildly in his chest that he nearly doesn't hear Katara's next words.

"Thank you, Zuko," she murmurs. Zuko peeks at her and finds that she has closed her eyes. Her lashes flutter slightly against her cheeks as she smiles, and warmth blooms in his chest and he instinctively, tentatively, wraps an arm around her shoulders and tucks her closer to him.

"I didn't do anything," he replies just as quietly, as if the relative silence in the apartment was a bubble that could pop at any sudden movement.

"You let me vent," Katara says simply, her head still resting comfortably in the crook of his neck. "I'm glad Toph wasn't home."

Zuko swallows and hopes she couldn't hear his heart somersaulting in his rib cage.

"Really?"

She nods, her hair tickling his chin.

"Really. She gets what I went through, sure, but she wouldn't have let me ramble on for as long as you did," she chuckles. "She'll probably offer up a piece of unusually wise Toph advice then shout, 'Less talking, more drinking, Sugar Queen!' or something."

"Yeah, she would," Zuko agrees with an amused huff. "She told me pretty much the same thing when she was trying to cheer me up."

"Why _was_ she trying to cheer you up?" Katara asks, turning her head to look up at him with a look of concern. "Was that really about Jin? Because if it wasn't, you know you can still talk to me about it, right?"

Zuko's face heats up at her words and at their proximity. She hasn't moved away from him, and she is so close that he could see the different flecks of blue in her eyes, could count the tiny freckles that dotted her cheeks, could feel her breath fanning across his skin.

Part of him wants to run away from this kind of closeness, but a bigger part of him— the part that told her about how he got his scar, the part that read the entire book of Water Tribe folktales before returning it, the part that reveled in _her—_ wants to cling to this warmth for as long as he could.

"No, it wasn't because of Jin," he finally admits, mustering the courage to tell her even as he drowns in her eyes, "It was because… I thought I'd ruined everything between us."

Her eyes widen and she pulls back— Zuko removes his arm from her shoulders, sure that she would recoil from him again, or berate him for all the mistakes he made—

He slides off his stool before she could do any of those things, but she catches his hand and tugs him back to face her.

"Zuko, I—" her hand tightens around his and he could feel his pulse thundering throughout his body as he waits for her next words. "Zuko, please look at me."

He does, even though looking at her means feeling so utterly vulnerable, even though it means laying himself bare in front of her.

Because that's what makes the difference— because it's _her._

And she's looking at him with that soft smile that makes his stomach flutter and his knees go weak, and he wants nothing more than to bask in the light of that smile.

"Zuko… I want you to know— I am so, _so_ glad that we're friends again," her smile slips and she worries her lip, glancing at their clasped hands. "And, for the record… you didn't ruin anything at all. I was stubborn— I wouldn't listen to you or to anyone, and I'm sorry for putting you through that. I was so needlessly horrible to you and you just put up with it and you still did so much for me— I am _so_ sorry."

"I kinda deserved it," mutters Zuko, but Katara shakes her head adamantly, grasping his hand in both of hers.

"No, you didn't," she says firmly. "I poured all my anger at First Sozin on _you._ It was unfair. And I chose to ignore everything you told me before— you trusted me enough to— to tell me about your past, and I just threw it all back in your face. I don't know how I could even make up for that."

"You don't have to," he assures her. "It's not like I wasn't a jerk to you before."

"That was a really long time ago," insists Katara. "Just tell me you forgive me and we can move on."

"It's not really necessary—"

"C'mon, _I_ told you I forgave you—"

"And _I'm_ telling you, it's not a problem—"

"Well, it's gonna be a problem if you won't hold me accountable for my actions!"

"Okay, fine! I forgive you!"

"Thank you!"

A pause, then—

"I really am sorry," says Katara quietly. Zuko steps closer and squeezes her hand.

"Well… You're trying to be better, right?" He asks with a small smile, remembering her rant about having flaws.

"We're _both_ trying to be better," she smiles back at him— a small, knowing sort of smile that makes him feel like he is part of something that only the two of them are in on.

And maybe he is; he doesn't know for sure, but after her apology, after all they've been through, he wants to know— _needs_ to know—

"Katara," he starts without knowing how his sentence will end, but he has to get it out of his mouth because— because—

"I— I think I'm in love with you."

That was not what he intended to say, but as his words ring out and echo in the small space between them, Zuko realizes just how true they are.

He's not taking them back.

He straightens his shoulders and lifts his chin, holds her hand tight and locks his gaze with hers.

Her lips part with a small "oh" of surprise, and Zuko's heart stutters in his chest; the small voice in the back of his head starts to reprimand him for making her uncomfortable and putting her on the spot like this— _what kind of person just blurts out his feelings like that—_

He squeezes her hand and lets go, turning away so she wouldn't see his face.

He feels her shift behind him, feels the heat of her body before she wraps her arms around his middle, feels as though his heart is breaking and bursting at the same time. He places his trembling hands over hers and bows his head.

"Zuko… thank you for telling me that," she says, her voice muffled by the back of his shirt. "I— I'm not telling you no, or yes, or anything, but— I just— I don't really know how I feel. Not yet. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Zuko manages to reply, the words sticking to the back of his throat. "I wasn't really expecting an answer."

"Still… I'll tell you as soon as I have one," Katara laughs lightly, and he feels it rumble from his back and throughout his whole body. He relaxes into her warmth and doesn't resist when Katara turns him around gently.

She appraises him with a weak grin.

"I gotta say, though," she says, a hint of teasing crinkling her eyes, "A _lot_ of things are making sense now."

"What things?" asks Zuko, frowning slightly and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, like Iroh's meddling," she replies wryly, and Zuko groans and covers his face with his palm. He feels her slender fingers wrap around his wrist, and she chuckles and pulls his hand away from his face. "Oh, c'mon, I told you, I find it sweet that he's playing matchmaker. I never would've guessed that it was because you had— well, _feelings_ for me. I just thought he took a liking to me— and honestly, it was too much pressure."

"Too much pressure?" repeats Zuko in confusion. Katara nods and hugs her arms close to her body, turning slightly away from him, her tone somewhat more somber now.

"Like, what if we date and he's expecting a wedding and little grandnieces and grandnephews, and then we break up?" Her voice cracks a little, and she half-whispers her next words. "I wouldn't just be breaking _your_ heart, I'd be breaking his, too. I don't know if I could stomach that."

She swallows audibly, and he wonders if he could stomach losing all of their friends, too, if they broke up.

 _Maybe this isn't a good idea._

Katara whirls on him in surprise, and Zuko exhales sharply when he realizes he talked to himself out loud. But since it is out in the open…

"Look, I meant it when I said I'm not expecting an answer," he tells her, holding her gaze for a moment too long. "I also meant what I said at cake tasting— you don't have to solve my problems for me. I can sort this one out myself."

Katara pauses at that, then frowns at him and plants her hands on her hips.

"Are you _serious_ right now? What kind of idea is that?" She asks incredulously. "Zuko, being in love with someone isn't a _problem_ that you have to _sort out!"_

"You _just_ pointed out a big problem!" He retorts. "Who do you think Sokka and Toph would choose—" He cuts himself off abruptly, surprised at how hurt he feels at the thought of losing those two. He covers his mouth with his hand and hopes Katara doesn't see his distress.

She does, though. She always does.

"Zuko, you _know_ they wouldn't cut you out of their lives if that happens, right?" She tells him softly. She huffs amusedly and rolls her eyes. "Hell, they'll probably take your side, too, if I'm being as stubborn as I was before."

Zuko smiles thinly at that.

"Oh, no, I can't have them doing that again. Drinking with Toph depleted my bank account and everything your brother suggested was stalker-y."

"Really?" asks Katara, intrigued. "Like what?"

Zuko coughs in embarrassment.

"Like— like dropping by your yoga class," he mumbles. Katara claps her hands to her mouth and giggles.

"Oh _noooo._ That would look _so_ wrong! And we can't even _talk_ in yoga class!" She shakes her head with a laugh, but she stops suddenly. She looks at Zuko with wide eyes. "Sokka— does he know about…?"

"To some extent, yeah," Zuko scratches his cheek sheepishly. "And— and Suki, too. And Toph, of course."

"They _all knew_ and they _didn't_ tell me?" Katara exclaims, throwing her hands up. She glances back at Zuko and grimaces. "Sorry— it's just… my own brother meddles as much as your uncle does. I hope he didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

"He kinda did," admits Zuko, shrugging, "But it was okay. I got to spend time with you. And I— I really like spending time with you."

All the air comes rushing out of Katara's lungs and her heart tumbles in her chest. She swallows against the lump in her throat.

Who knew that something as simple as that could elicit the same response she had when he told her he loves her?

"I—" she finds herself sitting down on one of the stools again, her fingers closed over her mother's necklace. She laughs tiredly and wipes at the corners of her eyes with her fingers. "I can't believe I ever thought of you as a jerk."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Zuko, confused, but Katara just smiles at him and jumps off the stool.

"It's nothing," she says, gathering her things from the counter.

She glances back at Zuko and, on impulse, stretches up on her tiptoes and kisses him on his left cheek. She feels his heart pound where her hands are splayed over his chest— or are those her own heartbeats? She doesn't know— but when she meets his eyes there's that electric thing between them again, and Katara finds herself imagining the what-if's and the could-be's…

But no, it's too much, too soon, and she has to be sure this isn't just a physical thing, because otherwise— otherwise she'd have to break someone's heart again, and she doesn't know why it's so important to her that _this_ heart remains intact.

So she pulls away and clears her throat.

"I better go. It's really late, and I have school tomorrow," she says, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and she sees Zuko nod in her peripheral vision.

He walks her to the door and lightly, almost absently, places his hand on the small of her back, and later, in the silence and solitude of her room, Katara wonders if the shivers in her spine could lead to something more.

* * *

"You better not make me wear _heels,_ Fan Girl," hisses Toph as the seamstress sticks pins into her bridesmaid's dress. Suki laughs over her flute of champagne.

"We'll be standing on _sand,_ Toph," she reminds her. "I'm not that cruel. You can all go barefoot for all I care."

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about!" Toph holds her hand out for a high five, jostling the seamstress's work. Suki rolls her eyes as she pushes off the pouf she was lounging on and claps Toph's palm. "This is already shaping up to be the _best_ party ever!"

"It's a _wedding,_ not a party, Toph, and that means you have to be sober for at least the first half," reproaches Katara, smoothing down the hem of the cropped top of her dress— Suki had opted for a less formal style to contrast her mother's vintage wedding dress, and Katara ponders her reflection in the mirror while sipping her champagne. "Suki, are you _sure_ we won't freeze to death in these? Spring in Kyoshi is still _pretty_ cold."

"You can just find a plus one there who could warm you up," teases Jia, one of Suki's friends from college, and Katara almost sloshes her drink on her clothes at her suggestion.

Toph laughs and cocks her head in Jia's direction.

"Barking up the wrong tree there, Giggles," she says. "Sweetness wouldn't bring some rando she just met to a wedding— she doesn't _date casually."_

"Aw, why not?" asks Jia, peering curiously at Katara. "It's real fun and you don't have to _talk_ too much to _get warm,_ if you know what I mean."

Toph snorts.

"Or you could just cuddle in the sand like you did with Sparky on Ember Island," she says blithely, and this time Katara chokes on her champagne.

Ty Lee giggles from the loveseat she's sharing with Jia.

"Aw, that must have been so _cute!"_ she sighs dreamily, oblivious of Katara's burning face. "Sometimes I still can't believe you and Zuko aren't dating. Your auras are _so_ compatible."

"Who's this Zuko guy and why aren't you dating?" Jia asks Katara. "Does he sleep around a lot, or is he afraid of commitment?"

"No! He's not like that!" Katara blurts out, offended on Zuko's behalf. "He takes relationships seriously!"

"How do you know?" Suki asks with a sly smirk, leaning forward as much as she could in her pouf. She raises her eyebrow inquisitively. "Did you guys… _talk_ about it?"

"N-no," lies Katara, setting down her champagne on a dainty table, trying to hide her flaming face from the other girls' inquisitive gazes.

Toph lets out a gasp of surprise and Katara flinches.

"You're lying!" She hops off the platform she was on, and the poor seamstress gathers the excess cloth before she could stomp on them. "Spill the beans, Sugar Queen!"

"There are no beans to spill!" exclaims Katara, frantically waving her arms around. "W-We just talked about dating—"

"You talked about _getting together?"_ squeals Ty Lee giddily, launching herself off the loveseat.

Katara shakes her head wildly.

"No! It— it wasn't like that!"

Toph gapes at her, and Katara finds herself shrinking in her sightless gaze.

"You're still lying," she says in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. Katara gulps and backs away when she realizes that Toph has put two and two together— her friend's face splits into a huge grin and she lands a powerful punch near Katara's hipbone, making her groan in pain.

"I _fucking KNEW it!_ I'm the _greatest matchmaker_ in the _whole world!"_

"Care to explain what's happening right now?" Jia mutters to Suki from the corner of her mouth, but Suki is also gaping at Katara.

"Zuko finally _told you?"_ she asks excitedly once she got over her surprise. She almost topples over the boutique's delicate table in her rush to clasp Katara's hands. "Oh my _gosh!_ This is so amazing— what did you say? Are you two together now?"

"No! No— he— I—" Katara flounders for words to say before collapsing on the loveseat that Ty Lee vacated and waving her hands tiredly at the seamstress. "Shouldn't we be getting our dresses done?"

"Oh, you're not getting away that easy, Sugar Queen," says Toph archly as Ty Lee helps her up the platform again, much to the relief of their seamstress. "I gotta know how dirty Sparky is in bed."

"We haven't done anything yet!" exclaims Katara, mortified. "We just talked, I swear! And we're not… we're not together."

"Oh, but why?" wheedles Suki, plunking her pouf closer to Katara. She leans her cheek on the loveseat's arm and looks at Katara dolefully. "He's a really sweet guy— underneath all that sulky awkwardness— and he cares _so_ much about you."

"That's just it," Katara mutters, wringing her hands together. "I-I'm not saying that I haven't… _thought_ about it, b-because I _have,_ but— but I'm just not sure if I… if I feel the same way he feels about me. At least, not yet."

"'What the hell does that mean?" asks Toph, considerately not turning around as the seamstress works on her top. Katara sighs.

"I'm not sure if… I'm not sure if I'm in love with him yet," she says in one breath, hoping her friends wouldn't pounce on the new piece of information.

There is a loud rip as Toph slips from the platform. Suki stands up and apologizes profusely to the seamstress, but Toph just rights herself and points at a spot about two feet shy of Katara.

" _Zuko_ told you he _loves_ you? He told me he just _likes_ you! When did _motherfuckin' love_ happen?" she asks the wall incredulously. Katara slaps a hand to her forehead and stands up to guide her back to the platform.

"Toph, if you could just stand still for _one minute_ so we could finish this fitting, I promise I'd go to whatever bar you choose and tell you everything, okay?"

"Am I part of that deal or are you already forgetting your future sister-in-law?" teases Suki.

"Yeah, I know we don't know each other that well, but can I come, too?" grins Jia. "I sense some major _drama,_ and I want details."

"Ooooh, let's make it a girls' night!" Ty Lee claps her hands together and twirls around the room. "This is _huge!_ We gotta celebrate!"

Katara buries her face in her hands and groans.

* * *

 _"Hey, buddy!"_ Sokka's voice filters through the door amid his insistent knocking. _"Let me in!"_

Zuko sighs and shuts off the TV. He's barely unlocked the door before Sokka swings it open and stalks in.

"You told my sister that you _love_ her?" He asks without preamble. _"Dude!"_

He squishes Zuko into a _very_ uncomfortable embrace and jumps up and down. Zuko grimaces and tries to shove him away, but Sokka holds on relentlessly.

"You should've told me you were gonna tell her!" He exclaims, holding Zuko at arm's length. "I would've talked you up!'

"I didn't plan on doing it— and I don't need your help," mutters Zuko sullenly, trying— and failing— to wiggle out of Sokka's grip. "Besides, your plans have a track record of _not_ working."

"That's 'cause you never even gave them a chance!" Sokka throws his hands up and Zuko grabs his chance to spring away from him. He scowls as Sokka fixes him with a goofy grin.

"How did you even find out, anyway?" Zuko asks begrudgingly, sitting down on the couch. Sokka plops down beside him and places his feet casually on the coffee table.

"You see, my friend," Sokka says smugly, tucking his hands behind his head, "As a member of the police force, I have above average skills of deduction—"

"Did Katara tell you?" interrupts Zuko anxiously.

"No! _Suki_ did!" exclaims Sokka defensively, before coughing and drawing himself up. "That— that is to say, I ran my observations past her and concluded from the evidence—"

"Oh no," mutters Zuko, realizing exactly _where_ Katara is now and _who_ she is with. He grasps at his hair in panic— Sokka stops rambling at his harried look. Zuko stares at him with wide eyes.

"She— she _told_ them?" he gasps.

Sokka grimaces and nods.

"Suki texted me about it," he says apologetically, placing a hand on each of Zuko's shoulders. "Dude! Why do you look so _scared?_ Of _course_ she's gonna tell her friends about it!"

Zuko's mouth opens and closes as he works to get the words out.

" _Why?"_

"Dunno, man, that's just what girls do," Sokka waves him off, a gesture far too casual for Zuko's liking. "Anyway, I know I gotta do the whole 'big brother' speech on you, but I gotta say, man, after all the stuff you did to win her back— I'm just real glad you finally decided to tell her. I'm rooting for ya, buddy."

Zuko blinks at that, the rushing sound in his ears quieting.

"Really?" he asks hoarsely.

"Hell, I think I gotta have the 'big brother' talk with _Katara_ at this point, to be honest," Sokka replies, scratching at his undercut with a bemused laugh. "She's as smart as a whip, but _damn_ can she be blind. You're really great at taking care of her, y'know."

"I am?" Zuko asks in wonderment.

Sokka nods seriously.

"Look— I know my sister, alright? She's always got to be right about _everything_ and she gets all bossy and involved and in your business… but..." He swallows audibly and leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and clasping his hands together. "Okay. I'm gonna tell you something crazy."

"Alright…" says Zuko hesitantly, unsure yet curious about the other guy's sudden change in demeanor.

Sokka heaves a huge sigh.

"I never told anyone this before, but honestly? I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like," he looks at Zuko from the corner of his eye and shrugs sadly. "It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture."

Zuko has nothing to say to that, so he simply places a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder until he sits back up and shakes himself.

"Anyway, my point is— Katara's used to taking care of other people, but she's really stubborn about not letting other people take care of her," he says. "And you're stubborn enough to convince her to take a break from mothering everyone and to not let her work herself to the ground. I've always thought that she needed someone like that, y'know? Someone who'll look out for her when she's too busy looking out for everybody."

They are silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, when Zuko exhales deeply.

"I don't deserve her. She's too good for me."

Sokka whips to face him so fast that part of his man bun slips out.

"What the _fuck,_ man?" He exclaims, his voice cracking with incredulity. "Did you _not hear_ a word I _said?"_

"I _did,"_ replies Zuko impatiently. "And that's the point. She's smart and tough and kind and beautiful— she cares so much about people and she works so hard to achieve her dreams— and I'm… I'm _me._ What the hell do I have to offer her? I grew up thinking I was better than everyone else, I've made so many mistakes—"

"Buddy, I think we all agreed you've already done more than enough to make up for your 'mistakes,'" interrupts Sokka, holding his fingers up in air quotes. "That thing with First Sozin wasn't even your fault to begin with, and your 'worst date ever' was _ages_ ago. You've changed a lot since then."

"I did. And it was all because of her." he swallows, his voice barely above a whisper. He averts his gaze, feeling ridiculous for talking about his feelings so openly. "I'm scared that if I lose her, I'd go back to who I was before I met her."

He could feel Sokka staring at him in silence. He curls in on himself and glares at the coffee table, waiting for his friend to laugh in his face.

Sokka just sighs.

"Dude. You changed because _you_ wanted to, whether you actively decided on it or not," he slings an arm around Zuko's shoulders and jostles him slightly. "Trust me. I know a thing or two about entitled pricks— Northern was full of 'em— and you can't just shove a person into an entitled prick's life and expect them to change. It all has to come from within."

Zuko groans and scrubs a hand over his face.

"Have you been spending time with my uncle?"

"No, man, but if your uncle and I are saying the same thing, then maybe you should start hearing us out." Sokka clasps his shoulder tightly. "You're a good dude, Zuko. Honestly, it kinda sucks that you need to be reminded of it _a lot—_ like, seriously, a _lot—_ but I think Katara's been pretty good at doing that, too. You're good for each other, y'know? Much better than she and Aang were."

Zuko blushes and shoves him away, and Sokka laughs and stands up.

"You got any beer, buddy?"

"Yeah," Zuko switches on the TV and leans back on the couch. "Grab me one, too."

* * *

"So, you haven't fucked, you haven't kissed, you just _talked?"_ asks Toph, banging her shot glass down on the table. "What the _hell,_ Sweetness?"

"He said he _loves_ me, Toph!" Katara whines over her cocktail. "I'm not about to— to— jump on Zuko just because he told me he loves me!"

"Why, isn't he cute or something?" asks Jia.

"See for yourself!" Suki giggles over her drink and pulls out her phone. "He's the one in the black tank top."

Katara briefly sees their group picture from the Pride March before Jia tugs the device from Suki's hands. Jia lets out a low whistle.

" _Damn,_ he's built like a god!" she exclaims. She brandishes the photo in Katara's face. "Are you _seriously_ telling me you're not attracted to _that?"_

"He's a person, not an object," mutters Katara, taking the phone and handing it back to Suki.

"So you don't even like- _like_ him at _all?"_ Ty Lee asks in disbelief. "You spend so much time together!"

"I'm not saying I don't _like_ him, it's just— I just don't want to play with his feelings just because I'm unsure of mine!" Katara exclaims. She sighs and takes a sip of her drink. "He's already been through so much. I can't— I don't— I don't want to break his heart."

"But you still wanna get in his pants and climb him like a tree," surmises Toph, smirking. Katara groans and takes a huge gulp of her cocktail.

"Okay, y'know what? Fine," she blows her hair out of her face, resisting the urge to fan her burning cheeks. "Yes, I'm _attracted_ to Zuko, but he told me he _loves_ me. I don't want us starting anything if we're not on the same page, because physical _urges_ don't mean love."

"But they could lead to it," says Suki sagely. She scrutinizes Katara over the umbrella in her drink. "Katara, it's like you don't even _want_ to give him a chance. Why is that?"

Katara stares at her, speechless.

It's not like she doesn't want to give Zuko a chance. Her memories are filled to the brim of all the moments they've shared, of all the things they've confided in each other and no one else, of all the times they've touched and all the times she's felt her heart race double-time in her chest. But...

 _I feel too much when I'm around him._

"I don't think that's a bad thing, Katara," Suki softly replies to the thought that escaped her lips. The other girls nod in agreement.

Katara looks at them in desperation.

"I'm scared and I'm so _confused,"_ she finally admits. "I don't know what _this_ is, and I _don't like_ not knowing! I haven't felt like this with anyone before— not with Aang, not with Haru, certainly not with Jet. It's like there's so much going on when we're together but it also feels really easy to be around him—"

"Wow, Sugar Queen, you make it sound like you haven't been in love before," snarks Toph, but Katara stops rambling at her statement.

Had she _actually_ been in love before? The kind of love that she saw between her parents when she was young, between Sokka and Suki now, and before, with Sokka and Yue?

Her relationship with Haru had been too casual for her to consider even falling in love. She had been pretty sure she was in love with Jet, but after all that's been said and done between them, she had dismissed the relationship quite quickly after her initial anger. She had loved Aang as a brother first before she allowed anything romantic between them— there was no electrifying heat between them, no sparks under her fingertips, and for a while Katara believed that was how things should be, because after Jet, she was sure that having fire pulsing through her body spelled an instant doom.

But with Zuko, it feels safe to feel that heat. It isn't a wildfire like it was with Jet, and it isn't a subdued campfire like it was with Aang, but somehow it feels like both— like it could consume her yet comfort her at the same time.

"Katara?"

Suki's voice pulls her out of her musings. They are all looking at her in varying degrees of concern.

"Is that what this is?" she asks, her voice strangled, her heart in her throat. "Am I in love with Zuko?"

The other girls exchange glances, opening their mouths to reply, but it's Suki who speaks first.

"That's really a question only you can answer, Katara," she says seriously. "But if you are, you can't keep him hanging. You gotta tell him."

Katara sighs and draws patterns on the sticky tabletop.

"Is it… is it bad that I don't want to cross that line with him yet?" She asks, bringing her fingers up to the sides of her head and massaging her temples. She hunches in on herself as she continues. "I don't want to consider it _just because_ he told me he has feelings for me. I want it to— to develop naturally. Does that make sense?"

"For me, it doesn't," says Toph bluntly. "But hey, it's your life, Sweetness. Waste it however you want."

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaand it's done! This part was supposed to happen _way_ later in the timeline I plotted, but fictional characters have a way of surprising you as you're writing them. What do you guys think of this development?

On another note, Jia is an OC I have from This War of Ours. She's a Kyoshi Warrior there, and I like her so much that I decided to make her one of Suki's longtime friends here.

Comments and feedback are always welcome!


	29. Party Planning

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 29: Party Planning**

Katara paces back and forth in the entire length of her small bedroom, worrying her bottom lip and staring at her phone.

 _This is ridiculous,_ she thinks, but she still cannot bring herself to call who she needs to call.

She doesn't know why she is so worried, anyway— it's not like Zuko would magically know about her conversation with the girls a few nights ago (she had even bribed Toph not to breathe a word to him)— but it still seems incredibly awkward to just call him up and ask him to coordinate with her about Suki and Sokka's bachelor/ette parties.

 _Don't be stupid,_ she chides herself, _Nothing has changed. You're still friends. And you_ have _to set the date now because Suki's schedule is so tight._

She takes a deep breath, taps Zuko's number on her phone, and closes her eyes tightly.

He answers on the first ring.

 _"Hello, Zuko here,"_ he answers in what she has learned is his normal way of over-the-phone greeting.

"Uh, hey, I just called to— uh—" Katara scrunches her face and slaps a hand to her head. She tries not to rush through her next words. "When are you planning to have Sokka's bachelor party?"

There's a scuffle on the end of the line— she hears Iroh's indistinct voice before it's suddenly drowned by sounds of traffic— then Zuko replies, a little gruffly, _"I thought Aang was in charge of that."_

"He _was,_ but he's not replying to my texts or taking my calls," Katara explains with an impatient huff. "And I need to know if you're doing a surprise thing or whatever, because _I'm_ doing that and I can't have the guys around for a bachelorette party."

 _"Well, seeing as I haven't even thought about it yet, I'm not sure how I could help."_

Katara groans and runs a hand down her face.

"Ugh, great," she mutters. "Suki's schedule is closing up and there are still so many things to do—"

 _"Why don't you just tell me when you're doing the thing and I'll try to plan around that?"_ suggests Zuko.

Katara hums and sits down on the edge of her bed.

"That— that could work," she says slowly, wondering why she hasn't thought of adjusting Sokka's party to her schedule. She looks over at the calendar hanging by the end of her bed. "Okay, I was planning on doing the bachelorette party about a week from now— I'm gonna tell Suki it's my birthday dinner—"

 _"You're gonna have a party for_ someone else _on_ your birthday?" Zuko asks incredulously on the other line. Katara sighs.

"It's not _actually_ my birthday," she says, before pausing slightly.

 _Should I tell him? Why_ shouldn't _I tell him?_

"My birthday's actually the day after," she adds, picking at a piece of lint on her sweater. She wonders how he would react.

 _"So you're going to spend your birthday hungover,"_ infers Zuko. Katara's jaw drops in indignation.

 _"Excuse_ me, I don't get sloppy drunk at every party I go to!" she exclaims. "I'm not Toph!"

Zuko chuckles a little on the other line and the sound makes Katara smile.

 _"Fine. Just text me what your plans are, and I guess I'll start, uh, planning stuff, too."_

"Thank you."

 _"No problem."_

Katara pauses, hesitating to end the call. Zuko clears his throat and Katara scrambles for something to say.

"Um…"

 _"Was there anything else?"_ Zuko asks. Katara swallows and draws patterns on her bedspread before shaking her head.

"No, no, that's all. Thanks. Have a good day, Zuko."

 _"Okay. You, too. Bye."_

"Bye."

Katara stares at her phone for a solid minute before flinging herself back onto her mattress and covering her face with her hands.

She decides to place all the confusing Zuko-related feelings aside for now— at least, until she's done planning Suki's party— because it is simply distracting and she just doesn't have the time.

She still finds herself wishing she hadn't ended the phone call so early, though.

* * *

"How the _hell_ do I even start planning a bachelor party?" asks Zuko in frustration, slumping on the couch. Toph languidly shifts beside him and plops her bare feet in his lap. He wrinkles his nose but doesn't push her away.

"Snoozles would prolly be okay with steak and whiskey," Toph tells him, hands tucked behind her head. "He doesn't like strippers— gives him the 'oogies'."

"I wasn't planning on getting strippers," says Zuko, slightly mortified. "But— how do I— do I surprise him, or something? Katara said she was surprising Suki."

"Tha's up to ya," drawls Toph, lolling her head to his direction lazily. "Y'know you can just _ask_ Madam Fussy how she's gon' do it, right?"

"I know," Zuko says, feeling the heat creep up from his neck to the tips of his ears. "Has she— did she say— what did she—"

"Not gonna tell ya anything, Sparky," Toph replies for the third time since she came home from their appointment with the tailor. She frowns at the ceiling. "Koh's balls, you two are such overthinkers."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Zuko quickly. Toph just smirks secretively at him.

"It means you should get off your ass and ask her about Snoozle's party," she replies with a yawn. She gets to her feet and ambles towards her room. "I could practically hear you pining, y'know."

Zuko glares at her retreating back until she slams her bedroom door shut. Then he pulls out his phone and deliberates calling Katara.

He snorts at himself. He used to dislike calling people or taking calls— with the exception of Uncle and Kiyi— but with him and Katara planning Sokka and Suki's wedding, it has become a new normal that he can't see himself letting go of.

He checks the time— half past eight, just after her dinnertime— and decides to just send a text instead.

 _"I don't know how to plan a party."_

His phone buzzes almost immediately.

 _"I figured. What ideas do you have?"_

Zuko's pulse races as he types.

 _"Can I call?"_

It only takes her a few seconds to reply, but they drag out for Zuko all the same.

 _"Of course!"_

He swallows, takes a deep breath, and taps on her number. He measures out the time before she picks up with his heartbeats— _one, two, thr—_

 _"Hi,"_ she answers. There's an almost shy note to her voice that Zuko can't quite decipher, but the second he hears her, a smile creeps up on his face.

"Hey," he greets, before suddenly remembering that he has an actual reason to call other than to hear her voice. "Um, about Sokka's party—"

 _"Oh, right!"_ she exclaims, like she also forgot why he called. _"What were you thinking of doing?"_

"Toph said steak and whiskey would be enough for him," Zuko replies, relaxing on the couch. "I just don't know— I don't know if it should be a surprise, or— or where the venue is or who to invite—"

 _"Well, knowing my brother, you better make him choose the restaurant and the after-dinner thing,"_ Katara says, and he could just imagine her tapping her chin with her finger with that thoughtful look she gets when she's planning something. _"He's_ really _specific about steakhouses— he keeps a mental log of all the steak he's eaten, y'know."_

"Your brother is crazy," sighs Zuko. He hears Katara giggle on the other line.

 _"Yes, he is,"_ she laughs. _"So that rules out surprising him— unless you can find a way to ask him about the definitive list of the top ten steakhouses in the city without making it weird."_

"I can't," he answers honestly. Katara snorts.

 _"I know."_

"Who do I invite, then?" asks Zuko, cradling the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he lies down and gets comfortable. "I have _no idea_ who else Sokka is friends with. I haven't seen the guestlist yet."

 _"That's because they haven't gotten all the RSVPs yet!"_ exclaims Katara in frustration. Zuko chuckles as she continues, _"I mean, how_ inconsiderate _can some people be? It's just good sense to respond to an invitation as soon as you get it!"_

"I usually wait two weeks before I send it back," he admits. Katara is silent for a few moments and he could almost _see_ her bristling. He smirks.

 _"You know, I think I just lost a_ tiny bit _of respect for you,"_ she replies, light enough for him to know it's a joke. _"Why would you_ do _that?"_

"Well, back in— back in my old work, you never knew what business would come up," he explains, stumbling over the words _First Sozin,_ "So I usually wait until I was sure both Mai and I were free. It's rude to cancel at the last minute."

 _"Huh, that was surprisingly thoughtful,"_ muses Katara. _"Fine, that's_ one _reason. I still think people should be punctual when responding. I mean, c'mon! The wedding is, like, one and a half months away!"_

"Suki doesn't seem to mind," Zuko points out.

 _"That's because Suki is as bad as Sokka with time management,"_ complains Katara. _"She keeps telling me to just relax 'cause it'll all work out, but the caterer's been asking for a headcount for a_ week _now, and I can't keep making up excuses. It's_ so frustrating _how easy-going Suki and Sokka are about their_ own wedding!"

"They have the luxury to be easy-going because you're doing everything for them," Zuko reminds her.

He's met with silence and he freezes in panic— had he gone too far?

He hears Katara groan and laugh on the other end of the call.

 _"Ugh. You're right."_ she says. _"Maybe I should ask Suki how she wants her bachelorette party to go instead of making it a surprise."_

He frowns at her too-casual tone.

"You still wanna do it, though," he surmises. Katara groans again.

 _"You know me too well,"_ she grumbles. _"It's just— Suki_ loves _surprises! And I'm pretty proud of what I had planned."_

"What _do_ you have planned?" asks Zuko curiously.

Katara's snigger reminds him a little bit of Toph's, and it makes him grin.

"C'mon, tell me," he urges her.

 _"Okay, but do_ not _tell Toph anything, 'cause I wanna test it out on her first to see if they're fun,"_ she tells him, her tone full of mischief. _"Because… well, let's just say some party games will be centered around— hmm, what's a delicate way to phrase this— items shaped like male genitalia."_

Zuko chokes on his own spit and his cough quickly turns into laughter.

"You're gonna have the bridesmaids do _what,_ exactly?"

Katara giggles and it just makes him laugh harder.

 _"Well, there's the inflatable banana— stop laughing!— the inflatable banana ring toss,"_ she says over Zuko's snickers, _"Then there's this thing with chocolates that I saw when I was researching games— and, well, of course I have some classics like Never Have I Ever."_

"You're only including that because you know you'll end up the least drunk," teases Zuko. Katara snorts.

 _"How do you know I haven't done more stuff since the last time we played?"_ she challenges. _"Maybe I've beaten up someone since then."_

"And who would that be, Sokka?" asks Zuko amusedly.

 _"Oh, shut up, jerk,"_ she says in a tone that implies she's sticking her tongue out at him. Zuko huffs in amusement. _"Oh, that reminds me— can I come over to your place tomorrow after work? I forgot to ask Toph and I'm assuming she's already gone to sleep."_

"Wow, this must be the first time you'd come over with my permission," he answers dryly.

 _"Yeah, I know, there's a first for everything,"_ she replies just as dryly.

"Why do you need to come over, anyway?" He asks, stifling a yawn.

He hears Katara yawn too on the other end before answering.

 _"It's for the game I researched,"_ she replies a little sluggishly. _"I need granite counters for the chocolate part."_

"Alright, I'll tell Toph to wait for you," he tells her. "I gotta do inventory tomorrow night."

 _"Oh, that's too bad,"_ Katara says, before suddenly rambling, _"I— I just mean— it's too bad you have to work tomorrow night! But I do need Toph around, because this is one of those things I need to test out on her— I don't know if it's totally lame or too lewd or if it's not funny at all—"_

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay," he assures her.

 _"I hope so, otherwise I spent an inordinate amount of money on chocolate and cream,"_ replies Katara, yawning again.

"You should go to bed," Zuko advises.

 _"I'm_ already _in bed,"_ she informs him. Zuko pushes away the inappropriate images that automatically pop up in his head.

"I meant," he says, "You should go to sleep. It's a school night."

Katara snorts.

 _"You make it sound like we're in high school,"_ she tells him. _"But yeah, maybe I should sleep soon."_

She doesn't hang up, though. It makes Zuko think that, maybe, possibly, she doesn't want to end this call as much as he does.

"Uh— how are— how are things at the preschool?" he ventures. "Is it still flu season?"

 _"Yeah,"_ she answers, drawing out the word with a sigh. _"The whole place is filled with sniffles and snot."_

"Must be fun," comments Zuko sarcastically. Katara huffs.

 _"Oh, sure,"_ she matches his tone, _"I'm covered in stickers and pee all day— why not add a bit of gooey mucus on top of all that, right?"_

"Good thing you haven't caught the flu yet."

 _"It's only a matter of time,"_ says Katara. _"Some of the other teachers have already caught it."_

"That sucks."

 _"I would complain, but so many kids are out sick that it's no problem integrating some of the other teachers' students with my class,"_ she explains wearily.

She lets out another yawn that sets off Zuko, too. She giggles.

 _"Yeah, we really should get to sleep."_

"Yeah."

He waits for her to say good night, like she always does, but all he could hear is her even breathing. He smirks.

"You know you have to hang up first _before_ falling asleep, right?" he asks quietly, just in case she did fall asleep already.

There is a long moment of silence before she mumbles blearily, "Don't tell me what to do, Sparky."

Zuko chuckles.

"As you wish, Sweetness."

 _"Ugh, Toph's nicknames are the worst,"_ grumbles Katara.

"I know."

 _"Good night, Zuko."_

"Good night, Katara."

* * *

"You know Suki doesn't like strippers, Toph, and besides, you can't even _see_ them anyway!" argues Katara exasperatedly, setting down her chocolate experiment on the counter. "So, absolutely _no strippers."_

"How can you have a dirty ass bachelorette party with no strippers?" Toph retorts incredulously. "It's gonna be so lame! Count me out."

"Not even when you hear about the game I planned so we could mess with the other girls?" asks Katara slyly.

Toph purses her lips and climbs up a kitchen stool closer to Katara.

"Gonna give ya one chance, Sugar Queen."

"I know it's not what you usually like, but…"

Katara plops her prototype into Toph's hands. She fights back a giggle as Toph sniffs it.

"Is this… chocolate?" Toph asks, venturing a tentative lick on the object and feeling out the length of it. Katara bursts out laughing the minute Toph realizes what it was.

"SICK! Did I just have a _chocolate cock_ in my _mouth?!"_

"The one who licks her way fastest to the cream-filled center wins," supplies Katara helpfully.

Toph laughs maniacally.

"Oh, Sweetness, I _love_ your mind!" She sniggers and takes a huge bite out of the shaft. "Damn, if cocks tasted _this_ good I might actually think about becoming straight."

"You know you can't _bite_ an actual penis, right?" Katara says amusedly, smoothing chocolate into her mold.

They both turn at the sound of the door unlocking. Katara jumps and busies herself with the cream while Toph waves her half-eaten chocolate penis as Zuko walks into the apartment.

"Hey, Sparky!" greets Toph. "Gramps let you out early?"

Zuko pops his head into the kitchen and blushes beet red at the sight of the phallic candies on the counter.

"What are you doing?" He asks, horrified.

Katara bursts into hysterical giggles at his expression.

"I _told_ you the party games involved items shaped like male genitalia," she reminds him.

His eyes bug out of his head.

"So you're gonna make the bridesmaids _eat_ those?"

"They taste real great," Toph tells him through another mouthful of chocolate. "Sweetness has a way with cocks."

Katara slaps a hand to her forehead, accidentally smearing chocolate on her nose. She wipes it off agitatedly while reprimanding her friend.

"Toph, could you _please_ reserve _some_ crassness for the party?"

"Mmm, nope," declares Toph. She offers half her candy to Zuko, who is still standing stock-still and flustered in the kitchen archway. "Hey, Hotpants, wanna lick Sugar Queen's candy?"

Katara groans and Zuko starts sputtering.

"No," he manages to choke out. Toph cackles.

"Y'know, it's very insulting not to taste a woman's cooking," Toph fake admonishes in a tone that sounded remarkably like Iroh. Katara sighs.

"Toph, don't manipulate him," she chides, then plucks the quarter of a chocolate penis from her fingers. "No more chocolate until you rein in the dirty comments. You're making Zuko uncomfortable."

"Shut up. You're not my real mom," Toph says, sticking out her tongue at her. Katara laughs at such a familiar interaction— this kind of conversation has certainly happened too many times when they were growing up.

"Tell Zuko you're sorry first," she counters.

"I don't really— uh, I don't really mind that much," mutters Zuko, still red in the face. Katara raises her eyebrow at him and he shrugs. "Really, I'm used to Toph's potty mouth."

"See! He's used to it! Gimme!" exclaims Toph impatiently, feeling around the countertop for her candy. Katara rolls her eyes and plunks the chocolate shaft into her waiting hands.

"Fine. But there's limits to teasing people with sexual innuendos," Katara tells her, but Toph just rolls her eyes and flips her off. Katara sticks her tongue out at her uselessly and turns to Zuko. "You have to tell her when you're uncomfortable, otherwise she won't stop."

"She already _knows_ when to stop," Zuko says, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have to let her do her thing— she gets tired of it after a while."

"But—"

"Jeez, chill out, Mom and Dad," snarks Toph, finishing her candy. Zuko looks mildly disgusted as she wipes her dirty fingers on her shirt.

"You know, I never pegged you for a sweet tooth," he comments. Katara snorts and Toph grins widely at him.

"I'm full of surprises, Sparky," Toph says, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"She only likes the candies that I make," Katara whispers to Zuko conspiratorially.

"You actually _make_ candies?" asks Zuko curiously. "I thought this was your first time."

"Oh, she used to sell caramel things for pocket money," explains Toph. Her eyes take on a malicious glint. "Don't worry, Hotstuff. It's not Sugar Queen's first time handling—"

" _Limits,_ Toph," Katara reminds her firmly, before opening the fridge and popping her mold in the freezer. She turns back to the counter and starts clearing the melting bowl and the plastic spatula she used. "That's my last batch; I'll just put in the filling and seal it up and I'll be on my way."

"So soon?" asks Zuko, disappointment evident in his tone. Toph snickers and Katara catches him scowling at the blind girl before he continues. "I mean, don't you have other, uh, party stuff to— to set up?"

Katara fights back a smile as she soaks the kitchen utensils in the sink.

"Oh, everything's been planned," she tells him over the sound of running water. "I even invited some of Suki's other friends from the squad."

"Giggles is gonna be there, right?" Toph calls out. "Ty Lee really liked her. She wants to set her up with some dude from the squad."

"Do I invite the guys from Sokka's squad?" Zuko asks suddenly. "Are they even invited to the wedding?"

Katara sighs, loads up the dishwasher, and dries her hands before turning back to them.

"Yes, Toph, Jia _will_ be there," she tells her, leaning one hip against the counter, "And, yes, Zuko, the guys _are_ invited to the wedding, but you better ask Sokka which ones he likes well enough to invite to the bachelor party, because he doesn't like most of the guys from the squad. You might end up inviting Hahn, and that's just a natural disaster."

"Okay, so my job's easy— I just basically let Sokka plan his entire party," concludes Zuko. "Who's Hahn and why do I have to avoid inviting him?"

"Hahn was Yue's high school boyfriend before Snoozles went to Northern and charmed the pants outta her," Toph explains. "He's a dick, though, so it's okay."

"And he's in the force with Sokka here in the Earth Kingdom because…?" Zuko asks, trailing off in confusion.

"Either it's pure coincidence or the universe is conspiring against Sokka or he deliberately followed him here to make his life miserable," Katara says, rolling her eyes as she wraps up the other candies on the counter. "Sokka's _so_ dramatic about it. He keeps saying Hahn is his nemesis or mortal enemy or something. It's a good thing Captain Piandao favors Sokka, otherwise they'd probably have pissing contests over who's manlier."

"Should I add that as a party game?" Zuko says wryly. Toph laughs and claps her knee and Katara snorts.

"Hey, what you guys do on your own time…" says Katara laughingly, before she is interrupted by her phone's timer. "Okay, one last penis-shaped chocolate and I'm out of your hair."

She sets about removing the two halves from the mold and filling it up with cream. She is sealing up the edges with leftover chocolate when Zuko clears his throat and excuses himself. Katara furrows her brows when she hears his bedroom door slam shut.

"What's up with him?" she asks. "Did I do something wrong?"

Toph cackles.

"I'm pretty sure it's just because you have a dick in your hands, Sweetness," she guesses, and Katara blushes and sets down the finished candy delicately on the counter.

"Oh," she says. "I guess I'm making him uncomfortable, too, huh?"

"Nah, I think the problem is that he likes it _way_ too much," chuckles Toph. "How's the whole 'not gonna date him til I'm sure' thing going, by the way?"

"I…" Katara glances at the kitchen archway and lowers her voice. "I actually think I'm… getting there."

"He fell asleep on the couch last night," discloses Toph, grinning mischievously. "Did you keep him up with something?"

Katara tries to suppress the smile that makes its way to her lips.

"We just— we just talked about a bunch of things," she shares, wrapping up all the chocolates in foil. "I don't think either of us wanted to stop. I almost fell asleep on the phone."

Toph rolls her eyes.

"Ugh, you two are _so_ PG-13," she groans, throwing her hands up in frustration. "What're you gonna do next, hold hands? Are ya gonna wait a year before you even let him kiss you on the cheek?"

"For your information—" Katara starts defensively, but she stops herself when she sees Toph's grin widen.

"Oh, care to enlighten me on something, Sugar Queen?" she asks, drumming her fingers on the countertop.

"Nothing— it's nothing!" squeaks Katara, but Toph has already latched onto her words.

"I can tell you're lying," she singsongs loudly, and Katara shushes her in panic.

"Alright, alright!" she hisses, dragging Toph unceremoniously to the balcony and sliding the door shut. She shivers at the sudden cold and decides to make it quick. "I kissed him. On the cheek. Twice."

 _"You_ kissed _him?"_ asks Toph, pointing at a spot near Katara's left shoulder. "What the _fuck_ are you _doing_ to Zuko?"

"I'm not _doing anything!"_ exclaims Katara, flabbergasted.

"You are!" Toph retorts accusatorily, stomping her bare foot on the chilly floor. "You said you didn't wanna play with his feelings, Katara! What the hell? No wonder he's so hung up on ya!"

"The first time I did it, he had just told me about his scar! I was caught up in— in— in comforting him!" Katara tries to clarify, but Toph narrows her eyes and frowns at her.

Katara sighs and resigns herself to this interrogation. She slides down to the dusty cement floor of the balcony. Toph squats down beside her, hands on her thighs.

"Okay," Katara finally says, hugging her arms close to her body in an effort to stay warm, "I think I might've done it for another reason. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and— well, back then, I only saw him as this gruff, sort of angry, awkward person who I couldn't really understand, and when we were at Roku's for my interview, we ran into his ex, and— and he just seemed so upset about it, and, well, you know me! I just— I wanted to know how I could make things better for him because I felt like he needed someone to talk to—"

"So you kissed him?" interrupts Toph disbelievingly.

 _"No,"_ replies Katara vehemently. "Well, not _yet._ We started talking about his family and— and suddenly he was opening up to me about his dad and his sister and how he got his scar and— and— I realized how _wrong_ I was about him, Toph! I never would have thought he'd endured _so much_ and I couldn't believe he couldn't see just how _amazing_ he was for what he did and I just wanted him to know how _brave_ he was for standing up to that— that _monster—"_

"Katara," interrupts Toph again, but in a softer, more somber tone this time. Katara stops rambling and Toph sighs. "You wanna know why I set you two up?"

"Yes," answers Katara, curiosity piqued. Toph takes a huge breath and lets it out slowly.

"You're both tough as nails and you both survived the tremendous amount of bullshit you went through," Toph says seriously. "You both know what it's like to lose someone important in your life, and yeah, you're both real stubborn and _huge_ pains in my ass, and— well…"

Toph sits herself down beside her, huddling closer than she usually does. Katara wraps her arm around her and tucks her close to her side.

"You were the first one who went looking for me when I ran away in high school," Toph mutters, features pinched. "Not even my _fucking parents_ noticed, but you were nosy enough to care even though we barely knew each other then."

Katara frowns slightly at that, but Toph continues belligerently.

"I just thought… maybe Zuko needed that kinda touchy-feely shit, y'know? He was as lost as I was," she says with an uncomfortable shrug. "And he kinda reminded me of you, y'know? Always tellin' me to eat proper food and wash my hands and all that crap. I guess— I guess that's your special way of saying that you care. Both of ya. So I felt like you two would hit it off."

Katara sits in silence as she digests this. Toph fidgets with her fingers as they sit together out in the cold.

"Thanks, Toph," Katara finally says, squeezing her tight. Toph squirms in her grasp, but Katara continues, holding on tight. "I guess I get it now. We just seemed so different when we first met that I thought it was your idea of a joke. But I know him so well now… and… honestly, I can't believe how easy it is to fall in love with him."

Toph shoves her away with an exaggerated gagging sound. Katara giggles and attempts to hug her again.

"Don't get all gooey and lovey-dovey on me, Sugar Queen!"

"Oh, I will! You _wanted_ this, right? You wanted all the details of this _lovey-dovey_ thing _you_ set up—"

The balcony door opens and they almost fall back into the living room under Zuko's confused stare.

"What are you doing out there in the cold?" he asks bewilderedly.

"Oh, we're just bonding," Katara smiles slyly at Toph and laughs as she dodges the blind girl's surprisingly accurate kick. She stands up and pulls Toph along with her. "Nothing like a heart to heart in the middle of a freezing balcony, huh?"

"Ugh, you make me sick, Sweetness," says Toph, punching her in the arm half-heartedly. Zuko looks bemusedly between the two of them before turning to Katara with a slight frown.

"You're _really_ asking for that flu, huh?"

Katara crosses her arms over her chest and frowns back at him.

"Well, I figured if I'm gonna get it anyway, why not speed up the process?" she answers sarcastically.

Toph snorts.

"If only you sped up other stuff in your life—" she starts, but yelps when Katara quickly pinches her ear. She swats her away as Katara smiles sheepishly at Zuko, who had raised his brow at the interaction.

"I better go," Katara says, finally letting go of Toph's ear. She quickly gathers the foil-wrapped party props and dumps them in a reused gift bag. "Gotta catch the night bus. Bye! Good night!"

She gives them a little wave before hurrying to the door and closing it behind her. Zuko blinks at the suddenness of her exit.

"Bye, I guess," he mutters in confusion. He looks at Toph for an explanation, only to see a pensive look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nah, it's no sweat off your ass, Sparky," she replies blithely, shrugging.

"Okay…" says Zuko uncertainly. "I'm gonna go to bed, then. Night."

He turns away but Toph's voice stops him.

"Hey, Zuko?" She asks in a small voice. "We'll still be friends even if you and Katara hook up, right?"

"What—" he whips back around, heart in his throat. "What makes you think she wants to—"

"It's just hypothetical, jeez," she quickly replies with a roll of her eyes. She frowns at the floor and scuffs her bare feet on the carpet. "Whatever. I don't care what you do with your life."

Zuko smiles and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course we'll still be friends, Toph," he says quietly. "No matter what happens. Promise."

Toph manages a small smile before reaching out and jabbing him on the shoulder.

"You're as bad as Sweetness sometimes, ya know?"

Zuko snorts and ruffles her hair playfully. Toph growls and tries to shove him out of her way to her bedroom.

"Quit it!" she complains. "Jeez. Just hook up with her already so the two of ya can finally stop bugging me."

"Right. 'Cause Katara's so eager to get together with me," says Zuko sarcastically. He drops the dry tone to mess with Toph. "Hey. Is that what you were talking about? Is there a reason why… why she can't return my feelings? Is there something wrong with me?"

"Fucking hell, Sparky, I can't do two heart to hearts in one night!"

Toph throws her hands up and stomps to her room. Zuko chuckles to himself, turns off the lights, and heads to bed not soon after.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's Chapter 29! I might have to up the rating because of the language, but idk, they seem harmless enough to me lol. I hope Toph wasn't too OOC in this chapter. I'm basing all the interactions on her line in the series, "Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Anyway, what did you guys think of this? Feedback is always welcome!


	30. Flu Season, Part 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 30: Flu Season, Part 1**

"Hiya, buddy!"

Zuko looks up from the cash register to see Sokka waving at him as he saunters into the tea shop and towards the counter.

"Your uncle's taste is _impeccable,"_ comments Sokka, giving the jewel-eyed monkey on the counter a friendly pat on the head. Zuko rolls his eyes at him.

"You only think that 'cause you both have horrible taste," he says, to which Sokka pouts and turns up his nose.

"My taste is _refined,"_ he insists. "Some people just don't have class."

"Says the guy who wanted to wear a cummerbund with a double-breasted jacket," mutters Zuko, sorting out some bills into the register.

"I've never worn a tux before!" exclaims Sokka, throwing his hands up. "I thought it was a mix and match thing, like with suits!"

"Suits aren't 'mix and match things' either," Zuko replies, plastering a hand to his forehead tiredly. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Oh, right!" Sokka snaps his fingers and reaches across the counter excitedly, clapping Zuko on the shoulder. "I came by to let you know— Katara's birthday's coming up!"

"Yeah, I know," Zuko says, shrugging away Sokka's hand. "You came all the way here to tell me that?"

Sokka raises his hands appeasingly.

"Hey, I didn't know that you already knew, dude," he says. "And, well— I can't get your uncle's tea cakes outta my head. It's been _months,_ man, but they've got this hold on me that I just can't shake!"

"Don't let Suki hear you say that," quips Zuko, writing up his order. Sokka dismisses him with a wave.

"Oh, Suki is awesome enough to approve of my love affair with food," he says, before leaning his forearms on the counter and grinning at Zuko. "So, what're you planning to get my lil sister for her birthday?"

Zuko taps his pen against his notepad anxiously.

"I don't really know. I'm not much for gift-giving."

"Oh, _sure,"_ scoffs Sokka with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "So that whole ocean kumquat and fairytale book thing was, what, a _business_ _proposal?"_

Zuko scowls at the other guy.

"She already said she's busy, anyway," he tells Sokka. "She's having Suki's bachelorette party the night before."

"Oh, hey, we gotta plan my bachelor party, man!" Sokka exclaims excitedly, before stopping himself with a cough and pointing a finger at Zuko. "But first things first, you gotta tell me if you're planning anything for Katara, 'cause so far, you're _bombing_ this romance thing, dude!"

Zuko frowns at him and crosses his arms.

"I don't think I'm _bombing_ anything," says Zuko. "What even gave you that idea?"

"Uh, let's see… aside from the fact that you're _still not together?"_ cries Sokka, his voice rising and cracking. "You gotta up your game, buddy boy!"

"I—" Zuko glances around for his uncle and finds him sufficiently distracted by other customers. He clears his throat and lowers his voice. "Isn't it— isn't it enough that I'm not forcing her to make a decision right away?"

"Sure, sure, that's sweet and all, but Zuko, my man, if you keep this pace up, she'll end up forgetting you even said anything and you'll end up in the friendzone _forever!"_ exclaims Sokka, flailing his arms at him.

Zuko just pins him with a deadpan stare.

"Do you _really_ think _your sister_ is the kind of person who could just forget something like that?" He asks flatly. Sokka scowls back at him.

"Your sense of urgency is _very_ inspiring," he quips just as dryly. Zuko groans and leads him to an empty table.

"Look," he says agitatedly as soon as Sokka sits down, "I just— I just don't want to pressure her into anything, okay? I didn't even expect _anything_ to come out of my confession in the first place! And I'm trying really hard to be fine with it if this leads nowhere— I just want her to be happy, okay? So just— just—"

"Okay! Okay. Breathe," Sokka says soothingly, splaying his hands. "If that's what you really wanna do, I won't push ya. But _at least_ tell me you're getting her a gift or something, 'cause all of us are doing that and we're dropping them off on the weekend after her birthday. No exceptions."

Zuko scrubs a hand down his face resignedly.

"Alright. I'll figure something out," he grumbles. "I'm gonna go get your order."

"Thanks, bud!" Sokka calls out after him. "You're the best!"

* * *

"So... your dad's bringing his girlfriend," Suki starts hesitantly, peering over the piles of envelopes that crowded Katara's kitchen table. Katara hums noncommittally while taking a sip of her black tea.

"You can seat them wherever you want," Katara mutters, a little sullenly, as she pores over the incomplete seating chart. Suki looks at her in concern.

"It's been years, hon. You two are still not getting along?"

Katara shrugs.

"As long as Dad's happy, I'm happy," she says with little conviction. "I just don't want to _see_ them all over each other, that's all."

Suki drags her chair closer to the seating chart.

"Want me to sit Hakoda at the main table and just place Malina somewhere near the kitchen doors?" she asks flippantly. Katara laughs at that.

"Thanks, Suki, but no," she replies. "I know that Dad adores you, but maybe you shouldn't rock the boat _too_ much. Besides, this is _your_ wedding. Don't let my issues with Malina get in the way of that."

"Alright," Suki says, unconvinced, while she tucks her short hair behind her ear and pencils in Hakoda and Malina on the chart. "Still, how far away from Malina do you have to be?"

"Mmm, I think I'll just be at the bar the whole time," jokes Katara, finishing her tea and standing up. She looks over Suki's shoulder and points at a spot about two tables away from her father's girlfriend. "There, that shouldn't be a problem for me."

"You wanna be seated next to Chan and his bimbo?" asks Suki incredulously.

"I didn't read the surrounding seats," Katara groans and sets her mug on the counter. "Why did you have to agree with Sokka when he said you two should sit at a separate table?"

"Because it's my special day, and I wanna feel like a queen," Suki says, grinning impishly. "People lining up to wish me well and give me presents while I sit and eat? That's the dream."

"You scare me sometimes," chuckles Katara. She peers at the seating chart over Suki's shoulder and sighs and throws her hands up. "Okay, _fine,_ you can put me in with the other bridesmaids, even if it's just _one_ table away."

"Finally," says Suki, rolling her eyes playfully. "Alright, I think we're pretty much done. All the last minute RSVPs can just sit together in the back."

"What about the rooming situation?" asks Katara, flipping her binder to another page. "Remember, Sokka and Aang have to camp out and catch some fish. It's a Southern Water Tribe tradition."

"As long as Sokka's at the end of the aisle and doesn't smell like a can of worms, I'm fine with it," declares Suki. "Although, Aang was supposed to room with Zuko…"

"Ruon Jian has no roommate," Katara points out, sliding the binder across the table.

Suki frowns disgustedly.

"That's because Sokka said Ruon Jian has the tendency to hook up with just about anyone when he's drunk," she says, before turning mischievously to Katara. "Are you sure _you_ don't want to room with Zuko?"

 _"Suki!"_ Katara flicks her arm and Suki giggles.

"Oh, c'mon, I'm kidding!" laughs Suki. "Well, mostly."

"Why are you all so impatient about me and Zuko getting together?" whines Katara.

"Uh, probably because none of us see the point in dragging something out that's _totally_ meant to be?" counters Suki pointedly.

"Nothing is 'totally meant to be,'" replies Katara with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest. "Aang thought _we_ were meant to be. _I_ thought Jet and I were meant to be. Besides, what's wrong with having doubts at first? Hell, I remember when _you_ were having doubts about Sokka because you thought he was still hung up on Yue!"

"Okay, touché," concedes Suki. "But, to be fair, it's not everyday you find a cute guy who apparently had a fairytale romance with an almost-princess who died of cancer."

"Sorry, Suki," murmurs Katara. Suki shrugs and sets down her pencil.

"It's okay," she says, smiling a tad sadly. She rests her chin on her hand and looks at Katara pensively. "But you know what? Sokka makes me happier than I ever thought was possible. He drives me insane sometimes, sure, but there's no one I'd rather be with at the end of the day. All I'm saying is, if you feel just a _tiny bit_ of that with Zuko, it wouldn't hurt to give it a chance."

Katara twirls her pencil in her hands.

"I do feel that sometimes," she admits quietly. "Even when I was mad at him about the whole First Sozin thing, I still _missed_ him, Suki. And that's the confusing part. What if we fight about something that huge again? I don't want to give up my principles just because I want him around!"

"And you totally shouldn't!" exclaims Suki emphatically. "I told Sokka off a _hundred_ times about how cooking and doing housework aren't 'female' jobs when we started living together. Sure, he still complains a lot about doing the laundry even after all these years, but he's trying. It's all just about being open and honest with each other."

"I guess I just can't believe Zuko's actually _in love_ with me," mutters Katara, tapping her pencil against her binder. "It was so sudden, and even if it's been weeks since he told me, I still can't quite wrap my head around it— like maybe my mind made it up somehow, I dunno. I mean, how long has this been going on? And why didn't I see it coming?"

"To be honest, I don't think he knows when it started," answers Suki with a shrug. "Sokka and I had a hunch that he liked you when he was trying so hard to win you back, but Sokka said you two were already giving him 'oogies' back when you were in Ember Island."

"We— we had a moment," says Katara, twisting a lock of her hair around her pencil uncertainly. She shrugs. "Okay, it was _more_ than one moment. Then I threw all the stuff he confided in me at his face because I was mad at him. I really don't understand how he could still _like_ me after that."

"Love doesn't make sense, Katara," replies Suki. "Maybe that's what's stopping you, you know. You think too much when it comes to dating. It's what stopped you from breaking up with Aang earlier than you did because you kept trying to convince yourself that you two were perfect on paper."

"That… that's probably true," agrees Katara, slumping her head down on her binder. "Ugh. What if I waited too long and now he's not interested anymore? Zuko doesn't strike me as a very patient guy."

"You'll never know unless you tell him, sweetie," says Suki matter-of-factly. "C'mon, it's not like it's the first time you told a guy you love him."

"But I don't know how to deal with _this_ situation, Suki!" cried Katara, her voice rising in panic. "Aang just kissed me after he told me he loved me and started telling everyone we were dating— I said yes the minute Jet asked me out 'cause I had such a huge crush on him—"

"Just do what feels right," interrupts Suki, taking away the pencil that Katara was wielding around in her panic. "How 'bout this. The next time you see Zuko, try to feel out the situation. If it seems like the right time, tell him. Just make sure the poor guy won't pass out from shock."

"I can do that," exhales Katara, nodding determinedly. "Yeah. I can just— just go up to him and say— uh— um…"

"'Hey, Zuko, just so you know, I think I might be in love with you too, so if you don't mind, do you wanna get together?'" suggests Suki, smirking.

"Something like that, yeah," says Katara. She takes a deep breath and drums her fingers on her binder anxiously. "Can we talk about something else, please? All my conversations recently seem to circle back to Zuko."

"Okay, fine. And, just to finish things up, we can temporarily room Zuko and Ruon Jian together," Suki says, waving her hands dismissively. "So, what are you planning for your birthday?"

Katara lights up and clasps Suki's hands in her own.

"Oh, I was just gonna tell you! I want to have a birthday dinner here the night before my birthday!" She exclaims. "Could you come?"

"Oh, honey, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Suki leans forward and hugs her, narrowly missing the pile of envelopes. "Why don't you want to do it on the day of your birthday?"

"Yeah, well, I'm only free the day before, and my birthday's on a school night," explains Katara breezily. "That way, I can welcome my birthday with you guys and I won't be tired and cranky during the celebration."

"You really think of everything," comments Suki. "Oh, I can't wait!"

"Me, too!" grins Katara.

* * *

"How 'bout a binder?" asks Zuko, tiredly massaging his temples. Sokka frowns at him, forcefully swallows a mouthful of Iroh's tea cakes, and wipes the crumbs away from his lips with the back of his hand.

"What a lovely, romantic gift," he quips dryly.

"Look, I'm trying, okay?" bursts out Zuko, leaning back on the cushions. "I told you I'm not one for gift-giving!"

"And man, you weren't kidding," sighs Sokka. He scratches at his undercut and looks around the empty tea shop. "What if you write her a poem? Poems are romantic _as hell."_

"Ugh, no. No way," groans Zuko. He pinches the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Can't we do this tomorrow? I gotta close up the shop."

"Fine, fine," Sokka waves at him with a roll of his eyes. "But you gotta have at _least_ three suggestions that aren't office supplies."

"Yeah, okay," replies Zuko, pushing off the low couch and gathering up Sokka's used plates. Sokka yawns hugely and stretches as he stands up.

"Gotta get going, too," he says, heading for the door. "It's my turn to cook dinner tonight."

"Give Suki my condolences, then," responds Zuko. Sokka scowls and sticks his tongue out mockingly at him before exiting the shop.

Zuko sighs and balances the dirty plates on top of each other before ducking into the back room. He stops in his tracks when he sees his uncle sitting at the kitchen table.

"Uncle, I thought you already went to bed," chides Zuko, dumping the plates into the sink. "It's late. I already said I'd close up— it's no problem."

Iroh looks at him strangely before waving him over. Zuko dries his hands and sees that his uncle was reading the newspaper.

"There's something you should see, nephew," Iroh says gently, before pointing to a small article in the corner of the Overseas/Business section. He furrows his brows in confusion at his uncle before taking the paper and sitting down.

His breath stills as he reads the headline.

 _ **Advocacy group calls for First Sozin Dev't shutdown**_

 _CALDERA CITY— Human rights advocacy group Avatar Organization filed charges against real estate mogul Ozai and his company, First Sozin Development Corporation (FSDC), following reports of alleged violations of employees' rights in the workplace._

" _The evidence is staggering, and several employees report all sorts of transgressions, from unpaid compensable time to minimum wage violations and workplace discrimination," said Avatar Organization spokesperson Aang. "Our findings showed that whistleblowers were threatened, blackmailed, or demoted."_

 _FSDC has several international headquarters, including one in Central Omashu in the Earth Kingdom. In a press release, Avatar Organization reported that the alleged maltreatment of employees happened across the board._

 _The Fire Nation Labor Department had conducted an investigation into the company's operations three years prior, after an FSDC project in the North Pole earned the ire of residents and environmental rights groups. In a statement, FSDC said it had since halted the project and "dealt with pertinent issues internally."_

 _FSDC representatives have yet to comment on the allegations as of writing._

Zuko looks up from the paper and gapes at his uncle. Iroh looks back at him with a guarded expression.

"What does this _mean?"_ asks Zuko, his head spinning.

"It seems your father is… facing the consequences of his misdeeds," Iroh says carefully. "As he should, nephew."

"That's— I don't know what to think of this, Uncle!" cries Zuko, gesturing wildly with the newspaper in hand. "Why now? After all these years— did he— did he— what did he do this time?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that, Zuko," sighs Iroh, resting his clasped hands on the table. "But I'm sure you'd agree, it was long due."

"I don't understand," Zuko continues, hardly hearing his uncle's words. "They want to close down the company? Thousands of people will lose their jobs!"

"I'm sure the Labor Department will take care of those who will be affected," replies Iroh in a soothing voice. "You know as well as I do how the company operates under Ozai, Zuko. This is a welcome development."

"What's gonna happen next?" asks Zuko, a hint of desperation in his voice. "This is worse than the Spirit Oasis project, Uncle! What do I— do I call Mai and the others? What's the process for this? Can we still stop it?"

"I think it bears remembering, nephew," says Iroh in a firm voice, reaching out and placing a hand over Zuko's trembling fist, "That you are not the same man that you used to be."

Zuko takes a deep, shuddering breath. He nods shakily and hands the newspaper to his uncle.

"I know. Believe me, Uncle, I know that. It's just— I know I shouldn't care about the company anymore, Uncle, but— but I _do_ care about the people there," he replies.

He remembers all the late night hours he spent with his team, all the times he woke up without Mai on the other side of the bed because she had fallen asleep at the office drafting one contract after another, all the nameless faces who had greeted him as he went about his day. He swallows thickly.

"Some of them worked really hard for their jobs, Uncle. Their families will suffer if this pushes through. You know that."

"I do, but I'm afraid there's nothing you and I can do, Zuko," Iroh replies gently. "I perfectly understand the need you feel to protect them, nephew, but something of this magnitude is out of our grasp. Yes, I admit I had been harsh as a leader when I was in your father's position, but I stuck to our code of conduct as closely as possible. I have made my fair share of grave mistakes, of course, but I fear the situation has worsened since Ozai's management."

"Wait! The spokesperson," Zuko says suddenly, standing up and pointing agitatedly at the paper. "If it's the same Aang— I know him. Do you think I could convince him to— to withdraw the charges?"

"The case has already been filed, nephew," Iroh says, standing up as well and placing his hands on Zuko's shoulders. "Now, why would you even want to do that?"

"I don't know!" exclaims Zuko, twisting away from his uncle and grasping at his hair. "I know what he did— I know how— how _horrible_ he is, Uncle, but he's still my father! I can't just let him rot in jail! What am I— What am I supposed to _do?"_

"Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been," Iroh says, looking him squarely in the eye. "I ask you— look inside your heart. Do you still feel the need to validate yourself with the approval of a man who has caused you nothing but pain your whole life?"

Zuko swallows, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He slams his back against the wall and presses the heels of his hands hard against his eyes.

"I don't know, Uncle," he mutters, barely hearing himself over the rushing sound in his ears. "I don't know— I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know— I don't— I just don't know anything anymore! It's like I can't win with anything— I thought I was done with him but he keeps coming back—"

Iroh places a comforting hand on his head, and it takes Zuko a few moments to realize that he had crouched into a tight ball on the floor. Iroh eases him away from the wall and rubs his back soothingly.

"I'm sorry I showed you the article, nephew," he murmurs. "I did not know it would cause you this much pain."

"I— I had to know," Zuko chokes out, his breath still getting in the way of his words. "I just— I just didn't— didn't know it would be— this bad."

"Whatever Ozai does is no longer your concern, my son," says Iroh, and Zuko clenches his jaw as tears smart at the corner of his eyes. "He made his choices, and you have made yours. You owe him _absolutely_ nothing, Zuko."

"I guess," mutters Zuko reluctantly, leaning back against the wall with a tired sigh. He swallows against the lump in his throat. "I think— I think it's best if— if I— if I just went home, Uncle."

"Alright," agrees Iroh, clambering to his feet and offering Zuko a hand up. Zuko ignores the gesture and pushes off the wall on his own.

He doesn't sleep that night.

* * *

The next day, Zuko finds himself unable and unwilling to leave his bed. He'd ignored all of Toph's insistent knocks and threats to break down his door. He'd turned off his phone after leaving his uncle a message that he wouldn't be able to come into work. And so far, he's been pretty successful in convincing himself that he doesn't need to eat.

He doesn't have the appetite, anyway. He's pretty certain he won't have much appetite for anything for the next few days.

So he lies in bed, his arm flung over his eyes, and recalls the article in morbid clarity.

He still cannot decide what to feel.

On one hand, he knows he shouldn't care about what his father is facing. Ozai had made his bed and he has to lie in it now. Logically, Zuko understands that the charges are long due.

Hell, his father should have faced the repercussions of his cruelty long before this.

He shuts his eyes tightly at the memories of seemingly pointless custody battles of his youth— the way his father's lawyer convinced everyone that separating them from their mother was crucial for their growth; the broken, desperate look in his mother's eyes when she was told she couldn't see him or Azula until they were of legal age; the court's disregard for the bruises blooming under her skin, simply because Ozai had coerced her into pleading psychological incapacity to take care of her own children.

But, on the other hand…

Closing down the company seems a little too extreme. Zuko knows firsthand how many mouths they feed; yes, the work benefits and legal compensations were subpar, nearly nonexistent, and he'd turned a blind eye to the situation when he was working there, but at least their workers and their families could lead decent lives with their paychecks. Sure, the Labor Department would take care of them after they're let off, just as Iroh said. And yes, they would perhaps be better off in other companies instead of one that blatantly bends the rules and skirts the law.

Truthfully, Zuko doesn't know why he's defending First Sozin to himself.

 _Knock, knock._

"Go away, Toph," he grumbles, turning to his side listlessly and covering his head with his pillow in case his roommate decides to ram through the door again.

"It's not Toph," Katara's voice calls out softly.

Zuko freezes.

"Hey, are you still alive in there?" she continues, the mischief in her voice not quite masking the concern.

Zuko doesn't know what to do with that concern. Not yet. Not when he's like this and he can't fully explain anything to her because this hits too close to home and he can't keep relying on her to untangle the ungodly mess on his mind right now because there's no way she'd stick around someone as _heavy_ and as _complicated_ as him—

He wakes up, disoriented, still curled up on his side into a tight ball. He blinks. _Of course._ He's not surprised that he seemingly fell asleep in the middle of his indecisiveness— it isn't the first time that his body decided to shut down when things became too difficult.

He reaches out, muscles protesting, and pulls back the curtains slightly, trying to figure out how much time had passed.

It is dark and quiet outside. Zuko's stomach grumbles, disrupting the stillness. He flops back onto his bed and deliberates sleeping off the hunger.

His stomach growls louder in response.

Huffing in frustration, he listens at the door for any sign that Toph might be awake. When he decides that the coast is clear, he opens the door as silently as possible.

He finds Katara sitting on the couch, surrounded by stacks of papers, her shoes kicked off and her legs curled up underneath her.

"You're still here," he remarks, voice hoarse from disuse.

She jumps and cranes her neck around. She smiles at him, clearly relieved. Zuko averts his eyes.

"Took you long enough to answer the door," jokes Katara.

Zuko just shrugs, still looking at his bare feet. He vainly hopes he doesn't look as miserable as he feels, but he supposes that is a moot point now, since Katara clearly knows how long he's been holed up in his room.

"Toph told me you were sick, so I brought over some food— just, you know, to sort of… return the favor. From before," continues Katara haltingly. Zuko finally gathers the courage to meet her eyes.

"You didn't have to," he says, but Katara looks back at him with that stubborn tilt to her jaw. He sighs. "I'm not sick, anyway."

She gives him a once-over and he resists the urge to scowl and cross his arms over his chest.

"Well, either way, I know how long you haven't eaten, so you're not getting out of this," she tells him obstinately, shuffling the stacks of papers together and setting them down on the coffee table. She makes her way to the kitchen, but Zuko remains rooted on the spot, unsure of what to do.

"I didn't know what kind of comfort food you wanted, so I had to go to Iroh," she continues, even though he hasn't followed her yet. "I hope I got it right. There were a lot more spices than I'm used to."

He could hear her puttering about, setting down utensils and whatnot, and against his better judgement, he makes his way to the kitchen. He feels a strange weight in his chest when he sees the food Katara laid out.

"Komodo chicken," he murmurs, approaching the counter. "I used to bring that dish to him, after… after Lu Ten died. We'd eat it together and we'd tell each other stories of our family vacations on Ember Island."

Katara glances up at him, eyes filled with emotions he couldn't read. He looks away.

"They're right," he says out loud, not knowing whether it is to himself or to Katara, "My father has to be stopped."

"Zuko?" Katara appears in his line of sight, small hands reaching for his own. "What do you mean?"

He holds onto her hands tightly and shakes his head, not knowing what else to do.

"It's okay," whispers Katara. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

There's a lump in his throat again, making it very difficult to speak, so he just nods and moves away to sit down on a kitchen stool.

She clears her throat and reaches for the container of komodo chicken.

"I'm just gonna go heat this up, okay?" She tells him softly, before carding her hands lightly through his mussed hair. "I'll be right back. Don't sneak off to your room to hide again."

He nods listlessly, burying his face in his arms. The cold stone of the kitchen counter feels nice against his unwashed face, and he is able to calm himself enough to push himself up and watch Katara move over the stove.

Maybe it was because he is exhausted beyond belief, or maybe the smell of komodo chicken sizzling in a pan triggered something incredibly vulnerable in him, or maybe it was simply the sheer image of her _here,_ he doesn't know, but Zuko finds himself walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her middle. He buries his face in her hair and closes his eyes tightly.

She stills for a moment, too short for him to formulate any regret over his actions, before she places one hand over both of his and leans back against his chest.

He doesn't know how long they stand like that, but it was long enough for his thoughts to quiet and his knotted shoulders to relax. He pulls away and wipes his eyes, knowing there are some tears there.

"The chicken might burn," he croaks out, stepping out of Katara's way and handing her a plate. She smiles at him with that soft smile that never fails to stir his insides and scoops the food onto the plate.

They have their meal in relative silence, punctuated only by Katara's complaints that the dish is too spicy and Zuko's assertion that it is better to have a too spicy dish than a too salty one, like her favorite sea prunes.

By the time they are cleaning up, Zuko feels almost back to normal.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?" asks Katara half-teasingly. Zuko considers it for a moment before answering.

"What charity does Aang work with?" He asks in turn. Katara seems surprised at the question, but she replies anyway.

"Well, it's not technically a charity. It's an advocacy group called Avatar Organization," she answers, stowing the last of the plates in the dishwasher. She leans against the counter and peers at Zuko curiously. "What's that got to do with anything?"

He sighs and leans against the counter beside her, their arms close enough to almost touch.

"They wanna shut down First Sozin," he says simply, almost emotionlessly. "Something about violating workers' rights."

Katara grabs his hand, an action so quick that he is pretty sure it is borne out of instinct, and she whirls on him, her eyes wide.

"Oh, Zuko, that's—" she stops herself, and he could clearly see the conflicting emotions on her face. "How— how do you feel about it?"

He shrugs.

"I don't know, honestly. But the part that agrees with my uncle is winning," he tells her frankly. "What Aang said in the article is just the tip of the shitty iceberg."

"Oh, so that's what Aang was working on," mutters Katara to herself. She shakes her head as though to clear it, and turns back to Zuko. "You _know_ that what your father did was wrong, right? To your sister, your uncle— to _you."_

"I know," he assures her, his free hand automatically reaching for his scar. "I've been torturing myself thinking about it since yesterday, but it didn't really stick until I remembered Lu Ten. The people working for First Sozin have the chance to— to not end up like him. And that's what's important."

"Zuko…"

Katara cups his face in her hands, trapping his own underneath hers, and gazes at him searchingly, a spark of determination lighting up her blue, blue eyes. Zuko finds himself barely able to breathe.

"I just— I want you to know— I think I'm—"

She suddenly lets him go and turns away— then she sneezes so violently that Zuko is sure people next door heard her.

He stifles a laugh and Katara glares at him before covering her face with her hands and sneezing again.

"Don't get snot on me," warns Zuko jokingly, reaching for tissues in a supply cabinet overhead. Katara laughs weakly and accepts the box.

"I won't if you stop teasing me," she responds, then mutters to herself, "Ugh. This is just great timing."

"What were you—"

"It was nothing," she replies too quickly, waving her hands around frantically. "In fact, I've already forgotten what I was saying!"

Zuko looks her over suspiciously, but she just hurries back to the living room and starts stuffing her papers into her bag, rambling about getting up early and finishing three papers for grad school.

She hesitates slightly before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him briefly on the cheek before leaving him dumbfounded and alone in his apartment.

* * *

 **A/N:** There's roughly another 5k-word chapter following this one, because it has gotten TOO LONG! I kept adding and adding more stuff in until it just ran away from me. This seemed like the best place to chop it up, sooo… How was this chapter? Tell me what you guys think!


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